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New insight into drivers of self-harm in teens
TOPLINE:
METHODOLOGY:
The analysis included 64 mostly White and middle class or upper middle class female patients in Minneapolis, Minnesota (mean age, 16.2 years) who were part of a larger study of the neurobiology of NSSI.
Before the pandemic, researchers assessed the presence of NSSI and measured cortisol levels in saliva while the participant was experiencing stress, such as when giving a speech (less cortisol in response to stress is a sign of HPA axis hyporeactivity); adolescents were assessed for depression and underwent neuroimaging.
In the early stages of the pandemic, adolescents were assessed for recent engagement in NSSI.
Researchers classified adolescents into three NSSI groups: never (n = 17), desist (a history of NSSI but did not report it during the pandemic; n = 26), or persist (a history of NSSI and reported it during the pandemic; n = 21).
TAKEAWAY:
Lower prepandemic levels of under the curve ground (AUCg), an index of overall activation of cortisol levels (B = −0.250; standard error, 0.109; P = .022) and lower prepandemic amygdala activation (B = −0.789; SE = 0.352; P = .025) predicted desistance of NSSI, compared to persistence of NSSI, during the pandemic.
This remained significant after controlling for pandemic-related stressors that could exacerbate underlying risk factors
When depression was included as a covariate, decreased cortisol AUCg and amygdala activation remained significantly predictive of desistance. Decreased medial prefrontal cortex resting state functional connectivity and decreased depressive symptoms were also predictive of desistance of NSSI.
IN PRACTICE:
The results “may give insight into predictors of maladaptive patterns of coping with negative emotions” for those with a history of NSSI, the authors noted.
STUDY DETAILS:
The study was conducted by Katherine A. Carosella, department of psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and colleagues. It was published online in Psychoneuroendocrinology.
LIMITATIONS:
The study was relatively small, and the investigators could not make causal inferences or rule out the possibility that different stages of development affected the data. Measures employed during COVID were not identical to those used in the prepandemic assessment.
DISCLOSURES:
The study received support from the National Institute of Mental Health and the University of Minnesota. The authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
TOPLINE:
METHODOLOGY:
The analysis included 64 mostly White and middle class or upper middle class female patients in Minneapolis, Minnesota (mean age, 16.2 years) who were part of a larger study of the neurobiology of NSSI.
Before the pandemic, researchers assessed the presence of NSSI and measured cortisol levels in saliva while the participant was experiencing stress, such as when giving a speech (less cortisol in response to stress is a sign of HPA axis hyporeactivity); adolescents were assessed for depression and underwent neuroimaging.
In the early stages of the pandemic, adolescents were assessed for recent engagement in NSSI.
Researchers classified adolescents into three NSSI groups: never (n = 17), desist (a history of NSSI but did not report it during the pandemic; n = 26), or persist (a history of NSSI and reported it during the pandemic; n = 21).
TAKEAWAY:
Lower prepandemic levels of under the curve ground (AUCg), an index of overall activation of cortisol levels (B = −0.250; standard error, 0.109; P = .022) and lower prepandemic amygdala activation (B = −0.789; SE = 0.352; P = .025) predicted desistance of NSSI, compared to persistence of NSSI, during the pandemic.
This remained significant after controlling for pandemic-related stressors that could exacerbate underlying risk factors
When depression was included as a covariate, decreased cortisol AUCg and amygdala activation remained significantly predictive of desistance. Decreased medial prefrontal cortex resting state functional connectivity and decreased depressive symptoms were also predictive of desistance of NSSI.
IN PRACTICE:
The results “may give insight into predictors of maladaptive patterns of coping with negative emotions” for those with a history of NSSI, the authors noted.
STUDY DETAILS:
The study was conducted by Katherine A. Carosella, department of psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and colleagues. It was published online in Psychoneuroendocrinology.
LIMITATIONS:
The study was relatively small, and the investigators could not make causal inferences or rule out the possibility that different stages of development affected the data. Measures employed during COVID were not identical to those used in the prepandemic assessment.
DISCLOSURES:
The study received support from the National Institute of Mental Health and the University of Minnesota. The authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
TOPLINE:
METHODOLOGY:
The analysis included 64 mostly White and middle class or upper middle class female patients in Minneapolis, Minnesota (mean age, 16.2 years) who were part of a larger study of the neurobiology of NSSI.
Before the pandemic, researchers assessed the presence of NSSI and measured cortisol levels in saliva while the participant was experiencing stress, such as when giving a speech (less cortisol in response to stress is a sign of HPA axis hyporeactivity); adolescents were assessed for depression and underwent neuroimaging.
In the early stages of the pandemic, adolescents were assessed for recent engagement in NSSI.
Researchers classified adolescents into three NSSI groups: never (n = 17), desist (a history of NSSI but did not report it during the pandemic; n = 26), or persist (a history of NSSI and reported it during the pandemic; n = 21).
TAKEAWAY:
Lower prepandemic levels of under the curve ground (AUCg), an index of overall activation of cortisol levels (B = −0.250; standard error, 0.109; P = .022) and lower prepandemic amygdala activation (B = −0.789; SE = 0.352; P = .025) predicted desistance of NSSI, compared to persistence of NSSI, during the pandemic.
This remained significant after controlling for pandemic-related stressors that could exacerbate underlying risk factors
When depression was included as a covariate, decreased cortisol AUCg and amygdala activation remained significantly predictive of desistance. Decreased medial prefrontal cortex resting state functional connectivity and decreased depressive symptoms were also predictive of desistance of NSSI.
IN PRACTICE:
The results “may give insight into predictors of maladaptive patterns of coping with negative emotions” for those with a history of NSSI, the authors noted.
STUDY DETAILS:
The study was conducted by Katherine A. Carosella, department of psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and colleagues. It was published online in Psychoneuroendocrinology.
LIMITATIONS:
The study was relatively small, and the investigators could not make causal inferences or rule out the possibility that different stages of development affected the data. Measures employed during COVID were not identical to those used in the prepandemic assessment.
DISCLOSURES:
The study received support from the National Institute of Mental Health and the University of Minnesota. The authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
PTSD: Children, adolescents, and all of us may be at risk
Not everyone will suffer an episode of posttraumatic stress disorder, even though everyday American life is characterized by a lot of uncertainty these days, particularly considering the proliferation of gun violence.
Also, everyone who does experience a traumatic event will not suffer an episode of PTSD – just as not everyone develops a heart attack or cancer, nor will everyone get every illness.
The data suggest that of those exposed to trauma, up to 25% of people will develop PTSD, according to Massachusetts General/McLean Hospital, Belmont, psychiatrist Kerry J. Ressler, MD, PhD, chief of the division of depression and anxiety disorders.
As I wrote in December 2022, our “kids” are not all right and psychiatry can help. I would say that many adolescents, and adults as well, may not be all right as we are terrorized not only by mass school shootings, but shootings happening almost anywhere and everywhere in our country: in supermarkets, hospitals, and shopping malls, at graduation parties, and on the streets.
According to a report published in Clinical Psychiatry News, a poll conducted by the American Psychiatric Association showed that most American adults [70%] reported that they were anxious or extremely anxious about keeping themselves or their families safe. APA President Rebecca W. Brendel, MD, JD, pointed out that there is “a lot of worry out there about economic uncertainty, about violence and how we are going to come out of this time period.”
Meanwhile, PTSD is still defined in the DSM-5 as exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence experienced directly, witnessing the traumatic event as it occurs to others, learning that a traumatic event occurred to a close family member or friend, or experiencing of traumatic events plus extreme exposure to aversive details of the event.
Examples of traumatic events can be numerous. They include natural disasters, man-made disasters, various types of assaults, war trauma, and severe illness with ICU experiences. I would add encounters with racism and bigotry – including homophobia when one fears for their very life or physical injury. This list includes only a few triggers that may invoke this disorder.
Interestingly, the DSM-5 excludes aversive exposure through electronic media, television, movies, or pictures. Including these aspects of trauma exposure would indeed increase PTSD diagnoses, and I believe this type of exposure needs to be included, especially considering how different people process information. Some viewers of media remain “outside” the events depicted on television, movies, or electronic media while others fit directly “into” the film or TV show. Even, for example, a news program, as evidenced by those people suffering from PTSD after viewing the Sept. 11, 2001, disaster on TV.
I have interviewed numerous people who witnessed Sept. 11 tragedies on TV, some during and some after the event, and they genuinely had experienced key factors of PTSD, including nightmares and intrusive recollections of the event. It’s important to include the ways in which people process information and events in order to make a correct diagnosis, in that “one [diagnostic] size does not fit all.”
PTSD at school
In my December column, I noted the fear of death that my generation and beyond experienced with the endless threat of nuclear war, which by its very nature meant death, and if not, the saying went “the living would envy the dead” – that is, in post–nuclear war.
As I pointed out in the column, that war never came and hopefully never will, yet the intensity of those many decades of threatened terror with regular school exercises of “hide under the desk” and “don’t look at the flash” left some with intrusive fearful thoughts, nightmares, and even visualization of atomic destruction, as well as the many scenes of destruction portrayed in news casts and films of nuclear explosions.
Clearly, most U.S. school children who participate in school lockdown drills will not suffer from PTSD episodes, but some will. If that “some” approaches 20% or even 10% or less, that will amount to a lot of kids.
I decided to interview two of my grandchildren, each living in different communities and attending different school systems, but both experiencing “lockdown drills.”
Jack, who is 13 and going into eighth grade, was quite clear regarding the drills and reported that in his age group, both he and the kids in his class felt scared while in lockdown. He told me some kids looked nervous. He mentioned that they were taught in school that if the “real thing” happened, the message was “hide, run, and fight.” I was curious and asked why not run first. He was quick to answer and said if you run, you might run into danger, so it’s better to hide and wait for help to arrive. I said to myself, if not PTSD, then being scared or nervous may also lead to anxiety or even to an anxiety disorder.
Next, I interviewed almost 11-year-old Charley, who is going into sixth grade. She was very clear about not at all being fearful or nervous during these drills and was confident that her classmates felt the same way. Then she explained that the school did a great job with a security officer and had locked doors all around that only opened from the inside. She was proud of the school and not fearful or worried at all.
The diverse views of these two young people surprised me but confirm that PTSD is not at all a given based on what is occurring in society. However, it should always be considered by clinicians if a child or adolescent begins to show signs consistent with PTSD.
These two interviews were quite short, but after I finished talking with Charley, she reported spontaneously that while she and her classmates were neither worried nor scared, some of their teachers did look nervous and seemed scared.
I was quite impressed with her sharpness and nuanced observation, and as noted, adults as well may be adversely affected by the entire concept of school lockdowns, as the awareness of their purpose rests in the forefront of their minds.
The way forward
So how do we prepare kids and adolescents for potential emotional problems like PTSD arising from lockdowns, even though most children or adults will not suffer any of these PTSD issues?
First, I believe that Second, it is important that school children be aware that if they feel bad in any way emotionally, they should speak to their parents, guardians, teachers, or school nurses.
Clearly, communicating simple problems without embarrassment or shame can lead to solutions, often quickly. Larger, more complicated issues may need professional intervention. Equally important, many mental health interventions need not be long in duration but client-centered, focused, and short term.
But what needs to be emphasized is that speaking and addressing what’s going on, if your thoughts and emotions are troubling, are in themselves therapeutic. Talk therapy works – especially if you get a new perspective on the old set of problems.
Dr. London is a practicing psychiatrist and has been a newspaper columnist for 35 years, specializing in and writing about short-term therapy, including cognitive-behavioral therapy and guided imagery. He is author of “Find Freedom Fast” (New York: Kettlehole Publishing, 2019). He has no conflicts of interest.
Not everyone will suffer an episode of posttraumatic stress disorder, even though everyday American life is characterized by a lot of uncertainty these days, particularly considering the proliferation of gun violence.
Also, everyone who does experience a traumatic event will not suffer an episode of PTSD – just as not everyone develops a heart attack or cancer, nor will everyone get every illness.
The data suggest that of those exposed to trauma, up to 25% of people will develop PTSD, according to Massachusetts General/McLean Hospital, Belmont, psychiatrist Kerry J. Ressler, MD, PhD, chief of the division of depression and anxiety disorders.
As I wrote in December 2022, our “kids” are not all right and psychiatry can help. I would say that many adolescents, and adults as well, may not be all right as we are terrorized not only by mass school shootings, but shootings happening almost anywhere and everywhere in our country: in supermarkets, hospitals, and shopping malls, at graduation parties, and on the streets.
According to a report published in Clinical Psychiatry News, a poll conducted by the American Psychiatric Association showed that most American adults [70%] reported that they were anxious or extremely anxious about keeping themselves or their families safe. APA President Rebecca W. Brendel, MD, JD, pointed out that there is “a lot of worry out there about economic uncertainty, about violence and how we are going to come out of this time period.”
Meanwhile, PTSD is still defined in the DSM-5 as exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence experienced directly, witnessing the traumatic event as it occurs to others, learning that a traumatic event occurred to a close family member or friend, or experiencing of traumatic events plus extreme exposure to aversive details of the event.
Examples of traumatic events can be numerous. They include natural disasters, man-made disasters, various types of assaults, war trauma, and severe illness with ICU experiences. I would add encounters with racism and bigotry – including homophobia when one fears for their very life or physical injury. This list includes only a few triggers that may invoke this disorder.
Interestingly, the DSM-5 excludes aversive exposure through electronic media, television, movies, or pictures. Including these aspects of trauma exposure would indeed increase PTSD diagnoses, and I believe this type of exposure needs to be included, especially considering how different people process information. Some viewers of media remain “outside” the events depicted on television, movies, or electronic media while others fit directly “into” the film or TV show. Even, for example, a news program, as evidenced by those people suffering from PTSD after viewing the Sept. 11, 2001, disaster on TV.
I have interviewed numerous people who witnessed Sept. 11 tragedies on TV, some during and some after the event, and they genuinely had experienced key factors of PTSD, including nightmares and intrusive recollections of the event. It’s important to include the ways in which people process information and events in order to make a correct diagnosis, in that “one [diagnostic] size does not fit all.”
PTSD at school
In my December column, I noted the fear of death that my generation and beyond experienced with the endless threat of nuclear war, which by its very nature meant death, and if not, the saying went “the living would envy the dead” – that is, in post–nuclear war.
As I pointed out in the column, that war never came and hopefully never will, yet the intensity of those many decades of threatened terror with regular school exercises of “hide under the desk” and “don’t look at the flash” left some with intrusive fearful thoughts, nightmares, and even visualization of atomic destruction, as well as the many scenes of destruction portrayed in news casts and films of nuclear explosions.
Clearly, most U.S. school children who participate in school lockdown drills will not suffer from PTSD episodes, but some will. If that “some” approaches 20% or even 10% or less, that will amount to a lot of kids.
I decided to interview two of my grandchildren, each living in different communities and attending different school systems, but both experiencing “lockdown drills.”
Jack, who is 13 and going into eighth grade, was quite clear regarding the drills and reported that in his age group, both he and the kids in his class felt scared while in lockdown. He told me some kids looked nervous. He mentioned that they were taught in school that if the “real thing” happened, the message was “hide, run, and fight.” I was curious and asked why not run first. He was quick to answer and said if you run, you might run into danger, so it’s better to hide and wait for help to arrive. I said to myself, if not PTSD, then being scared or nervous may also lead to anxiety or even to an anxiety disorder.
Next, I interviewed almost 11-year-old Charley, who is going into sixth grade. She was very clear about not at all being fearful or nervous during these drills and was confident that her classmates felt the same way. Then she explained that the school did a great job with a security officer and had locked doors all around that only opened from the inside. She was proud of the school and not fearful or worried at all.
The diverse views of these two young people surprised me but confirm that PTSD is not at all a given based on what is occurring in society. However, it should always be considered by clinicians if a child or adolescent begins to show signs consistent with PTSD.
These two interviews were quite short, but after I finished talking with Charley, she reported spontaneously that while she and her classmates were neither worried nor scared, some of their teachers did look nervous and seemed scared.
I was quite impressed with her sharpness and nuanced observation, and as noted, adults as well may be adversely affected by the entire concept of school lockdowns, as the awareness of their purpose rests in the forefront of their minds.
The way forward
So how do we prepare kids and adolescents for potential emotional problems like PTSD arising from lockdowns, even though most children or adults will not suffer any of these PTSD issues?
First, I believe that Second, it is important that school children be aware that if they feel bad in any way emotionally, they should speak to their parents, guardians, teachers, or school nurses.
Clearly, communicating simple problems without embarrassment or shame can lead to solutions, often quickly. Larger, more complicated issues may need professional intervention. Equally important, many mental health interventions need not be long in duration but client-centered, focused, and short term.
But what needs to be emphasized is that speaking and addressing what’s going on, if your thoughts and emotions are troubling, are in themselves therapeutic. Talk therapy works – especially if you get a new perspective on the old set of problems.
Dr. London is a practicing psychiatrist and has been a newspaper columnist for 35 years, specializing in and writing about short-term therapy, including cognitive-behavioral therapy and guided imagery. He is author of “Find Freedom Fast” (New York: Kettlehole Publishing, 2019). He has no conflicts of interest.
Not everyone will suffer an episode of posttraumatic stress disorder, even though everyday American life is characterized by a lot of uncertainty these days, particularly considering the proliferation of gun violence.
Also, everyone who does experience a traumatic event will not suffer an episode of PTSD – just as not everyone develops a heart attack or cancer, nor will everyone get every illness.
The data suggest that of those exposed to trauma, up to 25% of people will develop PTSD, according to Massachusetts General/McLean Hospital, Belmont, psychiatrist Kerry J. Ressler, MD, PhD, chief of the division of depression and anxiety disorders.
As I wrote in December 2022, our “kids” are not all right and psychiatry can help. I would say that many adolescents, and adults as well, may not be all right as we are terrorized not only by mass school shootings, but shootings happening almost anywhere and everywhere in our country: in supermarkets, hospitals, and shopping malls, at graduation parties, and on the streets.
According to a report published in Clinical Psychiatry News, a poll conducted by the American Psychiatric Association showed that most American adults [70%] reported that they were anxious or extremely anxious about keeping themselves or their families safe. APA President Rebecca W. Brendel, MD, JD, pointed out that there is “a lot of worry out there about economic uncertainty, about violence and how we are going to come out of this time period.”
Meanwhile, PTSD is still defined in the DSM-5 as exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence experienced directly, witnessing the traumatic event as it occurs to others, learning that a traumatic event occurred to a close family member or friend, or experiencing of traumatic events plus extreme exposure to aversive details of the event.
Examples of traumatic events can be numerous. They include natural disasters, man-made disasters, various types of assaults, war trauma, and severe illness with ICU experiences. I would add encounters with racism and bigotry – including homophobia when one fears for their very life or physical injury. This list includes only a few triggers that may invoke this disorder.
Interestingly, the DSM-5 excludes aversive exposure through electronic media, television, movies, or pictures. Including these aspects of trauma exposure would indeed increase PTSD diagnoses, and I believe this type of exposure needs to be included, especially considering how different people process information. Some viewers of media remain “outside” the events depicted on television, movies, or electronic media while others fit directly “into” the film or TV show. Even, for example, a news program, as evidenced by those people suffering from PTSD after viewing the Sept. 11, 2001, disaster on TV.
I have interviewed numerous people who witnessed Sept. 11 tragedies on TV, some during and some after the event, and they genuinely had experienced key factors of PTSD, including nightmares and intrusive recollections of the event. It’s important to include the ways in which people process information and events in order to make a correct diagnosis, in that “one [diagnostic] size does not fit all.”
PTSD at school
In my December column, I noted the fear of death that my generation and beyond experienced with the endless threat of nuclear war, which by its very nature meant death, and if not, the saying went “the living would envy the dead” – that is, in post–nuclear war.
As I pointed out in the column, that war never came and hopefully never will, yet the intensity of those many decades of threatened terror with regular school exercises of “hide under the desk” and “don’t look at the flash” left some with intrusive fearful thoughts, nightmares, and even visualization of atomic destruction, as well as the many scenes of destruction portrayed in news casts and films of nuclear explosions.
Clearly, most U.S. school children who participate in school lockdown drills will not suffer from PTSD episodes, but some will. If that “some” approaches 20% or even 10% or less, that will amount to a lot of kids.
I decided to interview two of my grandchildren, each living in different communities and attending different school systems, but both experiencing “lockdown drills.”
Jack, who is 13 and going into eighth grade, was quite clear regarding the drills and reported that in his age group, both he and the kids in his class felt scared while in lockdown. He told me some kids looked nervous. He mentioned that they were taught in school that if the “real thing” happened, the message was “hide, run, and fight.” I was curious and asked why not run first. He was quick to answer and said if you run, you might run into danger, so it’s better to hide and wait for help to arrive. I said to myself, if not PTSD, then being scared or nervous may also lead to anxiety or even to an anxiety disorder.
Next, I interviewed almost 11-year-old Charley, who is going into sixth grade. She was very clear about not at all being fearful or nervous during these drills and was confident that her classmates felt the same way. Then she explained that the school did a great job with a security officer and had locked doors all around that only opened from the inside. She was proud of the school and not fearful or worried at all.
The diverse views of these two young people surprised me but confirm that PTSD is not at all a given based on what is occurring in society. However, it should always be considered by clinicians if a child or adolescent begins to show signs consistent with PTSD.
These two interviews were quite short, but after I finished talking with Charley, she reported spontaneously that while she and her classmates were neither worried nor scared, some of their teachers did look nervous and seemed scared.
I was quite impressed with her sharpness and nuanced observation, and as noted, adults as well may be adversely affected by the entire concept of school lockdowns, as the awareness of their purpose rests in the forefront of their minds.
The way forward
So how do we prepare kids and adolescents for potential emotional problems like PTSD arising from lockdowns, even though most children or adults will not suffer any of these PTSD issues?
First, I believe that Second, it is important that school children be aware that if they feel bad in any way emotionally, they should speak to their parents, guardians, teachers, or school nurses.
Clearly, communicating simple problems without embarrassment or shame can lead to solutions, often quickly. Larger, more complicated issues may need professional intervention. Equally important, many mental health interventions need not be long in duration but client-centered, focused, and short term.
But what needs to be emphasized is that speaking and addressing what’s going on, if your thoughts and emotions are troubling, are in themselves therapeutic. Talk therapy works – especially if you get a new perspective on the old set of problems.
Dr. London is a practicing psychiatrist and has been a newspaper columnist for 35 years, specializing in and writing about short-term therapy, including cognitive-behavioral therapy and guided imagery. He is author of “Find Freedom Fast” (New York: Kettlehole Publishing, 2019). He has no conflicts of interest.
FDA approves first treatment for constipation in children
The recommended dosage in pediatric patients is 72 mcg orally once daily.
Functional constipation is common in children and adolescents. Symptoms include infrequent bowel movements with hard stools that can be difficult or painful to pass.
There is no known underlying organic cause and there are typically multiple contributing factors, the FDA noted in a statement announcing the approval.
The efficacy of linaclotide in children with functional constipation was demonstrated in a 12-week double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, multicenter clinical trial (Trial 7; NCT04026113) and supported by efficacy data from trials in adults with chronic idiopathic constipation, the FDA said.
The FDA first approved linaclotide in 2012 for the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation and irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) in adults.
Study details
To be eligible for the pediatric clinical trial, patients had to have experienced fewer than three spontaneous bowel movements (SBMs) per week.
They also had to experience one or more of the following at least once weekly, for at least 2 months prior to the trial screening visit:
- History of stool withholding or excessive voluntary stool retention.
- History of painful or hard bowel movements.
- History of large diameter stools that may obstruct the toilet.
- Presence of a large fecal mass in the rectum.
- At least one episode of fecal incontinence per week.
The primary efficacy endpoint was a 12-week change from baseline in SBM frequency rate. Children on linaclotide experienced greater improvement in the average number of SBMs per week than peers given placebo.
SBM frequency improved during the first week and was maintained throughout the remainder of the 12-week treatment period, the FDA said.
The most common adverse reaction is diarrhea. If severe diarrhea occurs, linaclotide should be discontinued and rehydration started.
The product’s boxed warning states that linaclotide is contraindicated in children younger than 2 years. In neonatal mice, linaclotide caused deaths due to dehydration.
Patients with known or suspected mechanical gastrointestinal obstruction should not take linaclotide.
Full prescribing information is available online.
The application for linaclotide in children received priority review.
A version of this article originally appeared on Medscape.com.
The recommended dosage in pediatric patients is 72 mcg orally once daily.
Functional constipation is common in children and adolescents. Symptoms include infrequent bowel movements with hard stools that can be difficult or painful to pass.
There is no known underlying organic cause and there are typically multiple contributing factors, the FDA noted in a statement announcing the approval.
The efficacy of linaclotide in children with functional constipation was demonstrated in a 12-week double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, multicenter clinical trial (Trial 7; NCT04026113) and supported by efficacy data from trials in adults with chronic idiopathic constipation, the FDA said.
The FDA first approved linaclotide in 2012 for the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation and irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) in adults.
Study details
To be eligible for the pediatric clinical trial, patients had to have experienced fewer than three spontaneous bowel movements (SBMs) per week.
They also had to experience one or more of the following at least once weekly, for at least 2 months prior to the trial screening visit:
- History of stool withholding or excessive voluntary stool retention.
- History of painful or hard bowel movements.
- History of large diameter stools that may obstruct the toilet.
- Presence of a large fecal mass in the rectum.
- At least one episode of fecal incontinence per week.
The primary efficacy endpoint was a 12-week change from baseline in SBM frequency rate. Children on linaclotide experienced greater improvement in the average number of SBMs per week than peers given placebo.
SBM frequency improved during the first week and was maintained throughout the remainder of the 12-week treatment period, the FDA said.
The most common adverse reaction is diarrhea. If severe diarrhea occurs, linaclotide should be discontinued and rehydration started.
The product’s boxed warning states that linaclotide is contraindicated in children younger than 2 years. In neonatal mice, linaclotide caused deaths due to dehydration.
Patients with known or suspected mechanical gastrointestinal obstruction should not take linaclotide.
Full prescribing information is available online.
The application for linaclotide in children received priority review.
A version of this article originally appeared on Medscape.com.
The recommended dosage in pediatric patients is 72 mcg orally once daily.
Functional constipation is common in children and adolescents. Symptoms include infrequent bowel movements with hard stools that can be difficult or painful to pass.
There is no known underlying organic cause and there are typically multiple contributing factors, the FDA noted in a statement announcing the approval.
The efficacy of linaclotide in children with functional constipation was demonstrated in a 12-week double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, multicenter clinical trial (Trial 7; NCT04026113) and supported by efficacy data from trials in adults with chronic idiopathic constipation, the FDA said.
The FDA first approved linaclotide in 2012 for the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation and irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) in adults.
Study details
To be eligible for the pediatric clinical trial, patients had to have experienced fewer than three spontaneous bowel movements (SBMs) per week.
They also had to experience one or more of the following at least once weekly, for at least 2 months prior to the trial screening visit:
- History of stool withholding or excessive voluntary stool retention.
- History of painful or hard bowel movements.
- History of large diameter stools that may obstruct the toilet.
- Presence of a large fecal mass in the rectum.
- At least one episode of fecal incontinence per week.
The primary efficacy endpoint was a 12-week change from baseline in SBM frequency rate. Children on linaclotide experienced greater improvement in the average number of SBMs per week than peers given placebo.
SBM frequency improved during the first week and was maintained throughout the remainder of the 12-week treatment period, the FDA said.
The most common adverse reaction is diarrhea. If severe diarrhea occurs, linaclotide should be discontinued and rehydration started.
The product’s boxed warning states that linaclotide is contraindicated in children younger than 2 years. In neonatal mice, linaclotide caused deaths due to dehydration.
Patients with known or suspected mechanical gastrointestinal obstruction should not take linaclotide.
Full prescribing information is available online.
The application for linaclotide in children received priority review.
A version of this article originally appeared on Medscape.com.
Advising patients on AD treatment options: Expert pearls
WASHINGTON –
The question was top of mind for experts who shared their advice during a “Tips and Tricks” session at the Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis meeting. Dupilumab dosing and dupilumab-associated facial redness and ocular disease, self-image issues, topical regimen adherence, and the quantification of disease were among the other topics raised by the experts.
Here are some of their practice pearls.
Treatment decisions, safety concerns
Deciding on a treatment is “kind of confusing ... particularly in the last year ... and it will only get more complicated,” said Raj J. Chovatiya, MD, PhD, assistant professor of dermatology at Northwestern University, Chicago. “We’re all about some version of shared decision-making, but if all else is equal, sometimes it pays to explicitly ask the patient, what do you want to do?”
Questions about how long a systemic treatment should be tried, both initially and in the long run, are common. “I think that oftentimes we all get antsy about making changes when we’re not getting to the endpoint we want to. And at least in my real-world experience, late responders are a real thing. Sometimes 3-4 months ... isn’t enough,” he said.
Trial extension data show that patients who were nonresponders for various endpoints at 16 weeks are “captured continuously as you go further and further out,” Dr. Chovatiya said. Regarding the long term, “realistically, there’s no perfect time to call it quits.”
Addressing fears about Janus kinase inhibitors can be challenging, he said. “When you’ve identified the right patient and labs are done ... have them take the medication in front of you and hang out,” he advised. “It may sound ridiculous, but for the extremely anxious person it can be a big stress reducer for everyone involved.”
Regarding treatment fears more generally, “asking patients ‘what is the biggest risk of not treating your disease?’ sometimes gets people thinking,” Dr. Chovatiya said.
For parents of children with AD, said Robert Sidbury, MD, MPH, risks of not treating can become apparent once treatments are started and benefits are realized. “It’s so easy to focus on the risks of any treatment because they’re right there in black and white, and the risks of not treating are not always as apparent, even though – or maybe because – they live with them every day.”
When treatment is underway, “they see [how] everyone sleeps better, how school performance gets better, how concentration gets better,” said Dr. Sidbury, professor in the department of pediatrics at the University of Washington. Seattle, and chief of dermatology at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
“Always contextualize,” he advised. “As dermatologists, we’re savvy with navigating boxed warnings.”
David Rosmarin, MD, chair of dermatology, at Indiana University, Indianapolis, and formerly vice chair for research and education at Tufts Medical Center, Boston, said he addresses questions about the length of systemic treatment by advising patients: “Why don’t we start taking [the medication] for 3 months and then we’ll take it from there.”
In some pediatric cases, Dr. Rosmarin said, having the child express “what their AD means to them – how it affects them,” and then acknowledging and validating what the child says, is helpful to parents who are concerned about systemic treatments.
Dupilumab in the real world
Some patients on dupilumab do not have a complete response with dosing every 2 weeks and may benefit from more frequent dosing, said Dr. Rosmarin.
“We know from the SOLO-1 and SOLO-2 studies that dupilumab weekly dosing was evaluated. It was only the every-other-week dosing that was approved, and we can see why – in terms of the changes in EASI [Eczema Area and Severity Index] score they’re close to overlapping,” he said.
In real life, however, “some patients benefit from different dosing. It’s important to realize that. I think we all have some patients who may dose more frequently and some who may dose less frequently,” Dr. Rosmarin said.
For a patient who “gets absolutely no response from dupilumab after 3-4 months, I’d switch them to something else. But for those who are partial responders, particularly those who tell me they’re getting itchy before their next dose, they’re the ones who benefit most from doubling the dose to dupilumab weekly,” he said.
For patients who experience dupilumab-associated head and neck dermatitis, itraconazole may help, Dr. Rosmarin added. “We’re using 200 mg daily for 2 weeks and weekly thereafter, and it helps some of our patients.” The average self-reported improvement was 52% for patients with dupilumab-associated facial redness treated with itraconazole in a retrospective medical record review that he and his colleagues published in 2022.
Dr. Rosmarin pointed to a multicenter prospective cohort study also published in 2022 showing that baseline/pretreatment levels of Malassezia-specific IgE were associated with the development of dupilumab-associated head and neck dermatitis. The median levels of Malassezia-specific IgE were 32 kUL–1 versus 2.3 kUL–1 in patients who experienced dupilumab-associated facial redness, compared with those who did not.
He said that, while there “may be multiple reasons” for dupilumab-associated head and neck dermatitis and that “plenty of patients” who don’t have Malassezia-specific IgE develop head and neck dermatitis, “this could be one cause.”
Itraconazole has been shown in his practice to be superior to fluconazole, likely because it has greater anti-inflammatory effects and provides better coverage of Malassezia because it is more lipophilic, said Dr. Rosmarin, who does not test for Malassezia-specific IgE before trying itraconazole.
For dupilumab-associated ocular surface disease, Elaine C. Siegfried, MD, offered her first-line suggestions: warm compresses (such as a microwaved bean bag), bland ocular lubricant (such as preservative-free artificial tears), oral hydration, and if needed and accessible, the prescription ophthalmic solution lifitegrast.
“It’s become an issue – what the dermatologist can do first line,” said Dr. Siegfried, professor of pediatrics and dermatology at Saint Louis University and director of the division of pediatric dermatology at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, St. Louis.
“If these don’t work, then I’ll identify an ophthalmologist who’s knowledgeable about Dupixent-related ocular surface disease,” she said. Selection is “important because they’re not all knowledgeable ... corneal specialists typically have the most knowledge.”
Topical adherence with diffuse xerosis and mild-moderate AD
For patients with diffuse xerosis and mild-moderate AD, especially those who are older and having difficulty with topical regimens, Anna De Benedetto, MD, said she tries to enhance adherence by simplifying the regimen. She asks patients to buy a pound jar of base cream (ceramide base) – “whatever emollient they like” – and mixes into it a high-potency steroid solution. They’re instructed to apply the combined cream once daily for 1-2 weeks, and then three times a week alternating with a nonmedicated cream.
“This way they’re using one [cream] to target the immune system and the skin barrier,” said Dr. De Benedetto, associate professor of dermatology and director of the dermatology clinical trial unit at the University of Rochester (N.Y.) Medical Center.
‘Wet wrap’ pajamas; self-image for children, teens
Dermatologist Melinda Gooderham, MSc, MD, assistant professor at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ont., and medical director at the SKiN Centre for Dermatology, said that, for widespread and troublesome AD, she advises patients or parents to wet a thin cotton pajama top and bottom and spin it in the dryer “so it’s almost dry but still moist.” Dry, looser pajamas or a light track suit can then be worn over the damp pajamas. “I usually tell [patients] to buy one size up,” she said.
Body dysmorphia is common with skin disease, and its incidence is six times higher in people with eczema than those without the disease, said Dr. Siegfried. “I’ve found that, for patients subjected to AD for a long time,” this is still an issue, “even when you clear their skin.”
For children, teens and their families, the nonprofit organization Made a Masterpiece can be valuable, Dr. Siegfried said. It offers resources from parents, children, psychologists, dermatologists, and others to help manage the emotional, social and spiritual aspects of living with a skin condition.
To use or not to use BSA; environmental counseling
“I think [assessing] body surface area [BSA] is very important in pediatrics and for adolescents [especially in those with moderate to severe disease] because it quantifies the disease for the family,” said Lawrence F. Eichenfield, MD, professor of dermatology and pediatrics and vice chair of the department of dermatology at the University of California, San Diego.
“Families live with the disease, but quantification really matters” for understanding the extent and impact of the disease and for motivating families to treat, said Dr. Eichenfield.
(When the disease is markedly diminished in follow-up, knowing the BSA then “helps families to register the improvement and gives positive reinforcement,” Dr. Eichenfeld said after the meeting.)
Young patients can participate, he noted at the meeting. “When I do telemedicine visits, kids can tell me how many hands of eczema they have.”
Dr. Eichenfield also said that he now routinely counsels on the environmental impacts on eczema. For example, “I explain to people that we’re probably going to have a bad wildfire season in California, and it’s the kind of environmental perturbation that may impact some eczema patients,” he said, noting the 2021 study documenting an association of wildfire air pollution from the 2018 California Camp fire with an increase in dermatology clinic visits for AD and itch in San Francisco.
“It helps to keep an eye out for that, and also to be aware of some of the environmental changes,” he said.
Dr. Chovatiya reported ties with AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Incyte, Leo Pharma, Pfizer, Regeneron, and Sanofi, among others. Dr. Sidbury reported ties with Regeneron, UCB, Pfizer, Leo Pharma, and Lilly, among others. Dr. Rosmarin reported ties with AbbVie, Incyte, Lilly, Pfizer, Regeneron, and Sanofi, among others. Dr. Siegfried reported ties with Regeneron, Sanofi Genzyme, AbbVie, Incyte, Leo, and Pfizer, among others. Dr. De Benedetto reported ties with Incyte, Pfizer, AbbVie, and Sanofi Advent, among others. Dr. Gooderham reported ties with AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Incyte, Leo Pharma, Pfizer, Regeneron, and Sanofi Genzyme, among others. Dr. Eichenfield disclosed ties with AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Incyte, Leo Pharma, Pfizer, Regeneron, and Sanofi, among others.
WASHINGTON –
The question was top of mind for experts who shared their advice during a “Tips and Tricks” session at the Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis meeting. Dupilumab dosing and dupilumab-associated facial redness and ocular disease, self-image issues, topical regimen adherence, and the quantification of disease were among the other topics raised by the experts.
Here are some of their practice pearls.
Treatment decisions, safety concerns
Deciding on a treatment is “kind of confusing ... particularly in the last year ... and it will only get more complicated,” said Raj J. Chovatiya, MD, PhD, assistant professor of dermatology at Northwestern University, Chicago. “We’re all about some version of shared decision-making, but if all else is equal, sometimes it pays to explicitly ask the patient, what do you want to do?”
Questions about how long a systemic treatment should be tried, both initially and in the long run, are common. “I think that oftentimes we all get antsy about making changes when we’re not getting to the endpoint we want to. And at least in my real-world experience, late responders are a real thing. Sometimes 3-4 months ... isn’t enough,” he said.
Trial extension data show that patients who were nonresponders for various endpoints at 16 weeks are “captured continuously as you go further and further out,” Dr. Chovatiya said. Regarding the long term, “realistically, there’s no perfect time to call it quits.”
Addressing fears about Janus kinase inhibitors can be challenging, he said. “When you’ve identified the right patient and labs are done ... have them take the medication in front of you and hang out,” he advised. “It may sound ridiculous, but for the extremely anxious person it can be a big stress reducer for everyone involved.”
Regarding treatment fears more generally, “asking patients ‘what is the biggest risk of not treating your disease?’ sometimes gets people thinking,” Dr. Chovatiya said.
For parents of children with AD, said Robert Sidbury, MD, MPH, risks of not treating can become apparent once treatments are started and benefits are realized. “It’s so easy to focus on the risks of any treatment because they’re right there in black and white, and the risks of not treating are not always as apparent, even though – or maybe because – they live with them every day.”
When treatment is underway, “they see [how] everyone sleeps better, how school performance gets better, how concentration gets better,” said Dr. Sidbury, professor in the department of pediatrics at the University of Washington. Seattle, and chief of dermatology at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
“Always contextualize,” he advised. “As dermatologists, we’re savvy with navigating boxed warnings.”
David Rosmarin, MD, chair of dermatology, at Indiana University, Indianapolis, and formerly vice chair for research and education at Tufts Medical Center, Boston, said he addresses questions about the length of systemic treatment by advising patients: “Why don’t we start taking [the medication] for 3 months and then we’ll take it from there.”
In some pediatric cases, Dr. Rosmarin said, having the child express “what their AD means to them – how it affects them,” and then acknowledging and validating what the child says, is helpful to parents who are concerned about systemic treatments.
Dupilumab in the real world
Some patients on dupilumab do not have a complete response with dosing every 2 weeks and may benefit from more frequent dosing, said Dr. Rosmarin.
“We know from the SOLO-1 and SOLO-2 studies that dupilumab weekly dosing was evaluated. It was only the every-other-week dosing that was approved, and we can see why – in terms of the changes in EASI [Eczema Area and Severity Index] score they’re close to overlapping,” he said.
In real life, however, “some patients benefit from different dosing. It’s important to realize that. I think we all have some patients who may dose more frequently and some who may dose less frequently,” Dr. Rosmarin said.
For a patient who “gets absolutely no response from dupilumab after 3-4 months, I’d switch them to something else. But for those who are partial responders, particularly those who tell me they’re getting itchy before their next dose, they’re the ones who benefit most from doubling the dose to dupilumab weekly,” he said.
For patients who experience dupilumab-associated head and neck dermatitis, itraconazole may help, Dr. Rosmarin added. “We’re using 200 mg daily for 2 weeks and weekly thereafter, and it helps some of our patients.” The average self-reported improvement was 52% for patients with dupilumab-associated facial redness treated with itraconazole in a retrospective medical record review that he and his colleagues published in 2022.
Dr. Rosmarin pointed to a multicenter prospective cohort study also published in 2022 showing that baseline/pretreatment levels of Malassezia-specific IgE were associated with the development of dupilumab-associated head and neck dermatitis. The median levels of Malassezia-specific IgE were 32 kUL–1 versus 2.3 kUL–1 in patients who experienced dupilumab-associated facial redness, compared with those who did not.
He said that, while there “may be multiple reasons” for dupilumab-associated head and neck dermatitis and that “plenty of patients” who don’t have Malassezia-specific IgE develop head and neck dermatitis, “this could be one cause.”
Itraconazole has been shown in his practice to be superior to fluconazole, likely because it has greater anti-inflammatory effects and provides better coverage of Malassezia because it is more lipophilic, said Dr. Rosmarin, who does not test for Malassezia-specific IgE before trying itraconazole.
For dupilumab-associated ocular surface disease, Elaine C. Siegfried, MD, offered her first-line suggestions: warm compresses (such as a microwaved bean bag), bland ocular lubricant (such as preservative-free artificial tears), oral hydration, and if needed and accessible, the prescription ophthalmic solution lifitegrast.
“It’s become an issue – what the dermatologist can do first line,” said Dr. Siegfried, professor of pediatrics and dermatology at Saint Louis University and director of the division of pediatric dermatology at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, St. Louis.
“If these don’t work, then I’ll identify an ophthalmologist who’s knowledgeable about Dupixent-related ocular surface disease,” she said. Selection is “important because they’re not all knowledgeable ... corneal specialists typically have the most knowledge.”
Topical adherence with diffuse xerosis and mild-moderate AD
For patients with diffuse xerosis and mild-moderate AD, especially those who are older and having difficulty with topical regimens, Anna De Benedetto, MD, said she tries to enhance adherence by simplifying the regimen. She asks patients to buy a pound jar of base cream (ceramide base) – “whatever emollient they like” – and mixes into it a high-potency steroid solution. They’re instructed to apply the combined cream once daily for 1-2 weeks, and then three times a week alternating with a nonmedicated cream.
“This way they’re using one [cream] to target the immune system and the skin barrier,” said Dr. De Benedetto, associate professor of dermatology and director of the dermatology clinical trial unit at the University of Rochester (N.Y.) Medical Center.
‘Wet wrap’ pajamas; self-image for children, teens
Dermatologist Melinda Gooderham, MSc, MD, assistant professor at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ont., and medical director at the SKiN Centre for Dermatology, said that, for widespread and troublesome AD, she advises patients or parents to wet a thin cotton pajama top and bottom and spin it in the dryer “so it’s almost dry but still moist.” Dry, looser pajamas or a light track suit can then be worn over the damp pajamas. “I usually tell [patients] to buy one size up,” she said.
Body dysmorphia is common with skin disease, and its incidence is six times higher in people with eczema than those without the disease, said Dr. Siegfried. “I’ve found that, for patients subjected to AD for a long time,” this is still an issue, “even when you clear their skin.”
For children, teens and their families, the nonprofit organization Made a Masterpiece can be valuable, Dr. Siegfried said. It offers resources from parents, children, psychologists, dermatologists, and others to help manage the emotional, social and spiritual aspects of living with a skin condition.
To use or not to use BSA; environmental counseling
“I think [assessing] body surface area [BSA] is very important in pediatrics and for adolescents [especially in those with moderate to severe disease] because it quantifies the disease for the family,” said Lawrence F. Eichenfield, MD, professor of dermatology and pediatrics and vice chair of the department of dermatology at the University of California, San Diego.
“Families live with the disease, but quantification really matters” for understanding the extent and impact of the disease and for motivating families to treat, said Dr. Eichenfield.
(When the disease is markedly diminished in follow-up, knowing the BSA then “helps families to register the improvement and gives positive reinforcement,” Dr. Eichenfeld said after the meeting.)
Young patients can participate, he noted at the meeting. “When I do telemedicine visits, kids can tell me how many hands of eczema they have.”
Dr. Eichenfield also said that he now routinely counsels on the environmental impacts on eczema. For example, “I explain to people that we’re probably going to have a bad wildfire season in California, and it’s the kind of environmental perturbation that may impact some eczema patients,” he said, noting the 2021 study documenting an association of wildfire air pollution from the 2018 California Camp fire with an increase in dermatology clinic visits for AD and itch in San Francisco.
“It helps to keep an eye out for that, and also to be aware of some of the environmental changes,” he said.
Dr. Chovatiya reported ties with AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Incyte, Leo Pharma, Pfizer, Regeneron, and Sanofi, among others. Dr. Sidbury reported ties with Regeneron, UCB, Pfizer, Leo Pharma, and Lilly, among others. Dr. Rosmarin reported ties with AbbVie, Incyte, Lilly, Pfizer, Regeneron, and Sanofi, among others. Dr. Siegfried reported ties with Regeneron, Sanofi Genzyme, AbbVie, Incyte, Leo, and Pfizer, among others. Dr. De Benedetto reported ties with Incyte, Pfizer, AbbVie, and Sanofi Advent, among others. Dr. Gooderham reported ties with AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Incyte, Leo Pharma, Pfizer, Regeneron, and Sanofi Genzyme, among others. Dr. Eichenfield disclosed ties with AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Incyte, Leo Pharma, Pfizer, Regeneron, and Sanofi, among others.
WASHINGTON –
The question was top of mind for experts who shared their advice during a “Tips and Tricks” session at the Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis meeting. Dupilumab dosing and dupilumab-associated facial redness and ocular disease, self-image issues, topical regimen adherence, and the quantification of disease were among the other topics raised by the experts.
Here are some of their practice pearls.
Treatment decisions, safety concerns
Deciding on a treatment is “kind of confusing ... particularly in the last year ... and it will only get more complicated,” said Raj J. Chovatiya, MD, PhD, assistant professor of dermatology at Northwestern University, Chicago. “We’re all about some version of shared decision-making, but if all else is equal, sometimes it pays to explicitly ask the patient, what do you want to do?”
Questions about how long a systemic treatment should be tried, both initially and in the long run, are common. “I think that oftentimes we all get antsy about making changes when we’re not getting to the endpoint we want to. And at least in my real-world experience, late responders are a real thing. Sometimes 3-4 months ... isn’t enough,” he said.
Trial extension data show that patients who were nonresponders for various endpoints at 16 weeks are “captured continuously as you go further and further out,” Dr. Chovatiya said. Regarding the long term, “realistically, there’s no perfect time to call it quits.”
Addressing fears about Janus kinase inhibitors can be challenging, he said. “When you’ve identified the right patient and labs are done ... have them take the medication in front of you and hang out,” he advised. “It may sound ridiculous, but for the extremely anxious person it can be a big stress reducer for everyone involved.”
Regarding treatment fears more generally, “asking patients ‘what is the biggest risk of not treating your disease?’ sometimes gets people thinking,” Dr. Chovatiya said.
For parents of children with AD, said Robert Sidbury, MD, MPH, risks of not treating can become apparent once treatments are started and benefits are realized. “It’s so easy to focus on the risks of any treatment because they’re right there in black and white, and the risks of not treating are not always as apparent, even though – or maybe because – they live with them every day.”
When treatment is underway, “they see [how] everyone sleeps better, how school performance gets better, how concentration gets better,” said Dr. Sidbury, professor in the department of pediatrics at the University of Washington. Seattle, and chief of dermatology at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
“Always contextualize,” he advised. “As dermatologists, we’re savvy with navigating boxed warnings.”
David Rosmarin, MD, chair of dermatology, at Indiana University, Indianapolis, and formerly vice chair for research and education at Tufts Medical Center, Boston, said he addresses questions about the length of systemic treatment by advising patients: “Why don’t we start taking [the medication] for 3 months and then we’ll take it from there.”
In some pediatric cases, Dr. Rosmarin said, having the child express “what their AD means to them – how it affects them,” and then acknowledging and validating what the child says, is helpful to parents who are concerned about systemic treatments.
Dupilumab in the real world
Some patients on dupilumab do not have a complete response with dosing every 2 weeks and may benefit from more frequent dosing, said Dr. Rosmarin.
“We know from the SOLO-1 and SOLO-2 studies that dupilumab weekly dosing was evaluated. It was only the every-other-week dosing that was approved, and we can see why – in terms of the changes in EASI [Eczema Area and Severity Index] score they’re close to overlapping,” he said.
In real life, however, “some patients benefit from different dosing. It’s important to realize that. I think we all have some patients who may dose more frequently and some who may dose less frequently,” Dr. Rosmarin said.
For a patient who “gets absolutely no response from dupilumab after 3-4 months, I’d switch them to something else. But for those who are partial responders, particularly those who tell me they’re getting itchy before their next dose, they’re the ones who benefit most from doubling the dose to dupilumab weekly,” he said.
For patients who experience dupilumab-associated head and neck dermatitis, itraconazole may help, Dr. Rosmarin added. “We’re using 200 mg daily for 2 weeks and weekly thereafter, and it helps some of our patients.” The average self-reported improvement was 52% for patients with dupilumab-associated facial redness treated with itraconazole in a retrospective medical record review that he and his colleagues published in 2022.
Dr. Rosmarin pointed to a multicenter prospective cohort study also published in 2022 showing that baseline/pretreatment levels of Malassezia-specific IgE were associated with the development of dupilumab-associated head and neck dermatitis. The median levels of Malassezia-specific IgE were 32 kUL–1 versus 2.3 kUL–1 in patients who experienced dupilumab-associated facial redness, compared with those who did not.
He said that, while there “may be multiple reasons” for dupilumab-associated head and neck dermatitis and that “plenty of patients” who don’t have Malassezia-specific IgE develop head and neck dermatitis, “this could be one cause.”
Itraconazole has been shown in his practice to be superior to fluconazole, likely because it has greater anti-inflammatory effects and provides better coverage of Malassezia because it is more lipophilic, said Dr. Rosmarin, who does not test for Malassezia-specific IgE before trying itraconazole.
For dupilumab-associated ocular surface disease, Elaine C. Siegfried, MD, offered her first-line suggestions: warm compresses (such as a microwaved bean bag), bland ocular lubricant (such as preservative-free artificial tears), oral hydration, and if needed and accessible, the prescription ophthalmic solution lifitegrast.
“It’s become an issue – what the dermatologist can do first line,” said Dr. Siegfried, professor of pediatrics and dermatology at Saint Louis University and director of the division of pediatric dermatology at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital, St. Louis.
“If these don’t work, then I’ll identify an ophthalmologist who’s knowledgeable about Dupixent-related ocular surface disease,” she said. Selection is “important because they’re not all knowledgeable ... corneal specialists typically have the most knowledge.”
Topical adherence with diffuse xerosis and mild-moderate AD
For patients with diffuse xerosis and mild-moderate AD, especially those who are older and having difficulty with topical regimens, Anna De Benedetto, MD, said she tries to enhance adherence by simplifying the regimen. She asks patients to buy a pound jar of base cream (ceramide base) – “whatever emollient they like” – and mixes into it a high-potency steroid solution. They’re instructed to apply the combined cream once daily for 1-2 weeks, and then three times a week alternating with a nonmedicated cream.
“This way they’re using one [cream] to target the immune system and the skin barrier,” said Dr. De Benedetto, associate professor of dermatology and director of the dermatology clinical trial unit at the University of Rochester (N.Y.) Medical Center.
‘Wet wrap’ pajamas; self-image for children, teens
Dermatologist Melinda Gooderham, MSc, MD, assistant professor at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ont., and medical director at the SKiN Centre for Dermatology, said that, for widespread and troublesome AD, she advises patients or parents to wet a thin cotton pajama top and bottom and spin it in the dryer “so it’s almost dry but still moist.” Dry, looser pajamas or a light track suit can then be worn over the damp pajamas. “I usually tell [patients] to buy one size up,” she said.
Body dysmorphia is common with skin disease, and its incidence is six times higher in people with eczema than those without the disease, said Dr. Siegfried. “I’ve found that, for patients subjected to AD for a long time,” this is still an issue, “even when you clear their skin.”
For children, teens and their families, the nonprofit organization Made a Masterpiece can be valuable, Dr. Siegfried said. It offers resources from parents, children, psychologists, dermatologists, and others to help manage the emotional, social and spiritual aspects of living with a skin condition.
To use or not to use BSA; environmental counseling
“I think [assessing] body surface area [BSA] is very important in pediatrics and for adolescents [especially in those with moderate to severe disease] because it quantifies the disease for the family,” said Lawrence F. Eichenfield, MD, professor of dermatology and pediatrics and vice chair of the department of dermatology at the University of California, San Diego.
“Families live with the disease, but quantification really matters” for understanding the extent and impact of the disease and for motivating families to treat, said Dr. Eichenfield.
(When the disease is markedly diminished in follow-up, knowing the BSA then “helps families to register the improvement and gives positive reinforcement,” Dr. Eichenfeld said after the meeting.)
Young patients can participate, he noted at the meeting. “When I do telemedicine visits, kids can tell me how many hands of eczema they have.”
Dr. Eichenfield also said that he now routinely counsels on the environmental impacts on eczema. For example, “I explain to people that we’re probably going to have a bad wildfire season in California, and it’s the kind of environmental perturbation that may impact some eczema patients,” he said, noting the 2021 study documenting an association of wildfire air pollution from the 2018 California Camp fire with an increase in dermatology clinic visits for AD and itch in San Francisco.
“It helps to keep an eye out for that, and also to be aware of some of the environmental changes,” he said.
Dr. Chovatiya reported ties with AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Incyte, Leo Pharma, Pfizer, Regeneron, and Sanofi, among others. Dr. Sidbury reported ties with Regeneron, UCB, Pfizer, Leo Pharma, and Lilly, among others. Dr. Rosmarin reported ties with AbbVie, Incyte, Lilly, Pfizer, Regeneron, and Sanofi, among others. Dr. Siegfried reported ties with Regeneron, Sanofi Genzyme, AbbVie, Incyte, Leo, and Pfizer, among others. Dr. De Benedetto reported ties with Incyte, Pfizer, AbbVie, and Sanofi Advent, among others. Dr. Gooderham reported ties with AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Incyte, Leo Pharma, Pfizer, Regeneron, and Sanofi Genzyme, among others. Dr. Eichenfield disclosed ties with AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Incyte, Leo Pharma, Pfizer, Regeneron, and Sanofi, among others.
AT RAD 2023
Kangaroo mother care may cut death risk for premature babies by a third
, according to new research published online in BMJ Global Health.
Starting the contact, which involves mothers carrying the newborn in a sling, within 24 hours of birth and continuing it for at least 8 hours a day both appear to amplify the effect on reducing mortality and infection, the paper states.
Sindhu Sivanandan, MD, with the department of neonatology at Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India, and Mari Jeeva Sankar, MD, in the pediatrics department of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, looked at existing studies to compare KMC with conventional care and to compare starting the intervention within 24 hours of birth versus a later start.
Their review looked at 31 trials that included 15,559 low-birthweight and preterm infants collectively. Of the 31 trials, 27 studies compared KMC with conventional care and four compared early with late initiation of KMC.
Mortality risk reduction
Analysis showed that, compared with conventional care, KMC appeared to cut mortality risk by 32% (relative risk, 0.68; 95% confidence interval, 0.53-0.86) during birth hospitalization or by 28 days after birth, while it seemed to reduce the risk of severe infection, such as sepsis, by 15% (RR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.76-0.96; low-certainty evidence.)
That mortality-risk reduction was found regardless of gestational age or weight of the child at enrolment, time of starting KMC, and whether the intervention was started in a hospital or community.
The studies that had compared early with late-initiated KMC showed a reduction in neonatal mortality of 33%.
Low- and middle-income countries have the highest rates of premature births (gestational age of less than 37 weeks) and low birthweight (less than 2,500 grams). Premature births and low birthweight both are key causes of death and disability.
The World Health Organization recommends KMC as the standard of care among low birthweight infants after clinical stabilization. The American Academy of Pediatrics also promotes immediate KMC.
Relevance in the U.S.
Grace Chan, MD, MPH, PhD, an epidemiologist and pediatrician with the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, said though the practice is promoted by the WHO and AAP, recommendations to families vary widely by providers.
She said the health benefits for KMC are numerous. One of the biggest is that skin-to-skin contact can help transfer heat to newborns who may have trouble regulating their own temperature. That is especially important in cold climates in places where there may be insufficient indoor heat.
She said it’s well-known that preterm babies are at higher risk for apnea, and listening to a mother’s heartbeat may stimulate the child to breathe regularly.
Additionally with KMC, there’s an inherent benefit of a mother or caregiver being able to see any change in a newborn’s color immediately when the baby is held so closely, as opposed to a nurse watching several babies at a time in a neonatal intensive care unit.
This is evidence that starting KMC right away is important, because the risk of death for premature and low-weight newborns is highest in the first 24 hours of life, Dr. Chan noted.
Barriers of time
There are some barriers, she noted, in that mothers or other caregivers caring for several young children may not have the time to carry a child in a sling for 8 or more hours at a time.
The authors conclude that their findings have policy implications, particularly for low- and middle-income countries: “KMC should be provided to all low birth weight and preterm infants irrespective of the settings – both health facilities and at home,” they wrote.
The authors caution that, “very low birth weight, extremely preterm neonates, and severely unstable neonates were often excluded from studies. More evidence is needed before extrapolating the study results in these high-risk groups.”
The study authors and Dr. Chan report no relevant financial relationships.
, according to new research published online in BMJ Global Health.
Starting the contact, which involves mothers carrying the newborn in a sling, within 24 hours of birth and continuing it for at least 8 hours a day both appear to amplify the effect on reducing mortality and infection, the paper states.
Sindhu Sivanandan, MD, with the department of neonatology at Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India, and Mari Jeeva Sankar, MD, in the pediatrics department of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, looked at existing studies to compare KMC with conventional care and to compare starting the intervention within 24 hours of birth versus a later start.
Their review looked at 31 trials that included 15,559 low-birthweight and preterm infants collectively. Of the 31 trials, 27 studies compared KMC with conventional care and four compared early with late initiation of KMC.
Mortality risk reduction
Analysis showed that, compared with conventional care, KMC appeared to cut mortality risk by 32% (relative risk, 0.68; 95% confidence interval, 0.53-0.86) during birth hospitalization or by 28 days after birth, while it seemed to reduce the risk of severe infection, such as sepsis, by 15% (RR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.76-0.96; low-certainty evidence.)
That mortality-risk reduction was found regardless of gestational age or weight of the child at enrolment, time of starting KMC, and whether the intervention was started in a hospital or community.
The studies that had compared early with late-initiated KMC showed a reduction in neonatal mortality of 33%.
Low- and middle-income countries have the highest rates of premature births (gestational age of less than 37 weeks) and low birthweight (less than 2,500 grams). Premature births and low birthweight both are key causes of death and disability.
The World Health Organization recommends KMC as the standard of care among low birthweight infants after clinical stabilization. The American Academy of Pediatrics also promotes immediate KMC.
Relevance in the U.S.
Grace Chan, MD, MPH, PhD, an epidemiologist and pediatrician with the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, said though the practice is promoted by the WHO and AAP, recommendations to families vary widely by providers.
She said the health benefits for KMC are numerous. One of the biggest is that skin-to-skin contact can help transfer heat to newborns who may have trouble regulating their own temperature. That is especially important in cold climates in places where there may be insufficient indoor heat.
She said it’s well-known that preterm babies are at higher risk for apnea, and listening to a mother’s heartbeat may stimulate the child to breathe regularly.
Additionally with KMC, there’s an inherent benefit of a mother or caregiver being able to see any change in a newborn’s color immediately when the baby is held so closely, as opposed to a nurse watching several babies at a time in a neonatal intensive care unit.
This is evidence that starting KMC right away is important, because the risk of death for premature and low-weight newborns is highest in the first 24 hours of life, Dr. Chan noted.
Barriers of time
There are some barriers, she noted, in that mothers or other caregivers caring for several young children may not have the time to carry a child in a sling for 8 or more hours at a time.
The authors conclude that their findings have policy implications, particularly for low- and middle-income countries: “KMC should be provided to all low birth weight and preterm infants irrespective of the settings – both health facilities and at home,” they wrote.
The authors caution that, “very low birth weight, extremely preterm neonates, and severely unstable neonates were often excluded from studies. More evidence is needed before extrapolating the study results in these high-risk groups.”
The study authors and Dr. Chan report no relevant financial relationships.
, according to new research published online in BMJ Global Health.
Starting the contact, which involves mothers carrying the newborn in a sling, within 24 hours of birth and continuing it for at least 8 hours a day both appear to amplify the effect on reducing mortality and infection, the paper states.
Sindhu Sivanandan, MD, with the department of neonatology at Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India, and Mari Jeeva Sankar, MD, in the pediatrics department of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, looked at existing studies to compare KMC with conventional care and to compare starting the intervention within 24 hours of birth versus a later start.
Their review looked at 31 trials that included 15,559 low-birthweight and preterm infants collectively. Of the 31 trials, 27 studies compared KMC with conventional care and four compared early with late initiation of KMC.
Mortality risk reduction
Analysis showed that, compared with conventional care, KMC appeared to cut mortality risk by 32% (relative risk, 0.68; 95% confidence interval, 0.53-0.86) during birth hospitalization or by 28 days after birth, while it seemed to reduce the risk of severe infection, such as sepsis, by 15% (RR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.76-0.96; low-certainty evidence.)
That mortality-risk reduction was found regardless of gestational age or weight of the child at enrolment, time of starting KMC, and whether the intervention was started in a hospital or community.
The studies that had compared early with late-initiated KMC showed a reduction in neonatal mortality of 33%.
Low- and middle-income countries have the highest rates of premature births (gestational age of less than 37 weeks) and low birthweight (less than 2,500 grams). Premature births and low birthweight both are key causes of death and disability.
The World Health Organization recommends KMC as the standard of care among low birthweight infants after clinical stabilization. The American Academy of Pediatrics also promotes immediate KMC.
Relevance in the U.S.
Grace Chan, MD, MPH, PhD, an epidemiologist and pediatrician with the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, said though the practice is promoted by the WHO and AAP, recommendations to families vary widely by providers.
She said the health benefits for KMC are numerous. One of the biggest is that skin-to-skin contact can help transfer heat to newborns who may have trouble regulating their own temperature. That is especially important in cold climates in places where there may be insufficient indoor heat.
She said it’s well-known that preterm babies are at higher risk for apnea, and listening to a mother’s heartbeat may stimulate the child to breathe regularly.
Additionally with KMC, there’s an inherent benefit of a mother or caregiver being able to see any change in a newborn’s color immediately when the baby is held so closely, as opposed to a nurse watching several babies at a time in a neonatal intensive care unit.
This is evidence that starting KMC right away is important, because the risk of death for premature and low-weight newborns is highest in the first 24 hours of life, Dr. Chan noted.
Barriers of time
There are some barriers, she noted, in that mothers or other caregivers caring for several young children may not have the time to carry a child in a sling for 8 or more hours at a time.
The authors conclude that their findings have policy implications, particularly for low- and middle-income countries: “KMC should be provided to all low birth weight and preterm infants irrespective of the settings – both health facilities and at home,” they wrote.
The authors caution that, “very low birth weight, extremely preterm neonates, and severely unstable neonates were often excluded from studies. More evidence is needed before extrapolating the study results in these high-risk groups.”
The study authors and Dr. Chan report no relevant financial relationships.
FROM BMJ GLOBAL HEALTH
Alcohol dependence in teens tied to subsequent depression
TOPLINE
Alcohol dependence, but not consumption, at age 18 years increases the risk for depression at age 24 years.
METHODOLOGY
- The study included 3,902 mostly White adolescents, about 58% female, born in England from April 1991 to December 1992, who were part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) that examined genetic and environmental determinants of health and development.
- Participants completed the self-report Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) between the ages of 16 and 23 years, a period when average alcohol use increases rapidly.
- The primary outcome was probability for depression at age 24 years, using the Clinical Interview Schedule Revised (CIS-R), a self-administered computerized clinical assessment of common mental disorder symptoms during the past week.
- Researchers assessed frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption as well as alcohol dependence.
- Confounders included sex, housing type, maternal education and depressive symptoms, parents’ alcohol use, conduct problems at age 4 years, being bullied, and smoking status.
TAKEAWAYS
- After adjustments, alcohol dependence at age 18 years was associated with depression at age 24 years (unstandardized probit coefficient 0.13; 95% confidence interval, 0.02-0.25; P = .019)
- The relationship appeared to persist for alcohol dependence at each age of the growth curve (17-22 years).
- There was no evidence that frequency or quantity of alcohol consumption at age 18 was significantly associated with depression at age 24, suggesting these factors may not increase the risk for later depression unless there are also features of dependency.
IN PRACTICE
“Our findings suggest that preventing alcohol dependence during adolescence, or treating it early, could reduce the risk of depression,” which could have important public health implications, the researchers write.
STUDY DETAILS
The study was carried out by researchers at the University of Bristol; University College London; Critical Thinking Unit, Public Health Directorate, NHS; University of Nottingham, all in the United Kingdom. It was published online in Lancet Psychiatry
LIMITATIONS
There was substantial attrition in the ALSPAC cohort from birth to age 24 years. The sample was recruited from one U.K. region and most participants were White. Measures of alcohol consumption and dependence excluded some features of abuse. And as this is an observational study, the possibility of residual confounding can’t be excluded.
DISCLOSURES
The investigators report no relevant disclosures. The study received support from the UK Medical Research Council and Alcohol Research UK.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
TOPLINE
Alcohol dependence, but not consumption, at age 18 years increases the risk for depression at age 24 years.
METHODOLOGY
- The study included 3,902 mostly White adolescents, about 58% female, born in England from April 1991 to December 1992, who were part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) that examined genetic and environmental determinants of health and development.
- Participants completed the self-report Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) between the ages of 16 and 23 years, a period when average alcohol use increases rapidly.
- The primary outcome was probability for depression at age 24 years, using the Clinical Interview Schedule Revised (CIS-R), a self-administered computerized clinical assessment of common mental disorder symptoms during the past week.
- Researchers assessed frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption as well as alcohol dependence.
- Confounders included sex, housing type, maternal education and depressive symptoms, parents’ alcohol use, conduct problems at age 4 years, being bullied, and smoking status.
TAKEAWAYS
- After adjustments, alcohol dependence at age 18 years was associated with depression at age 24 years (unstandardized probit coefficient 0.13; 95% confidence interval, 0.02-0.25; P = .019)
- The relationship appeared to persist for alcohol dependence at each age of the growth curve (17-22 years).
- There was no evidence that frequency or quantity of alcohol consumption at age 18 was significantly associated with depression at age 24, suggesting these factors may not increase the risk for later depression unless there are also features of dependency.
IN PRACTICE
“Our findings suggest that preventing alcohol dependence during adolescence, or treating it early, could reduce the risk of depression,” which could have important public health implications, the researchers write.
STUDY DETAILS
The study was carried out by researchers at the University of Bristol; University College London; Critical Thinking Unit, Public Health Directorate, NHS; University of Nottingham, all in the United Kingdom. It was published online in Lancet Psychiatry
LIMITATIONS
There was substantial attrition in the ALSPAC cohort from birth to age 24 years. The sample was recruited from one U.K. region and most participants were White. Measures of alcohol consumption and dependence excluded some features of abuse. And as this is an observational study, the possibility of residual confounding can’t be excluded.
DISCLOSURES
The investigators report no relevant disclosures. The study received support from the UK Medical Research Council and Alcohol Research UK.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
TOPLINE
Alcohol dependence, but not consumption, at age 18 years increases the risk for depression at age 24 years.
METHODOLOGY
- The study included 3,902 mostly White adolescents, about 58% female, born in England from April 1991 to December 1992, who were part of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) that examined genetic and environmental determinants of health and development.
- Participants completed the self-report Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) between the ages of 16 and 23 years, a period when average alcohol use increases rapidly.
- The primary outcome was probability for depression at age 24 years, using the Clinical Interview Schedule Revised (CIS-R), a self-administered computerized clinical assessment of common mental disorder symptoms during the past week.
- Researchers assessed frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption as well as alcohol dependence.
- Confounders included sex, housing type, maternal education and depressive symptoms, parents’ alcohol use, conduct problems at age 4 years, being bullied, and smoking status.
TAKEAWAYS
- After adjustments, alcohol dependence at age 18 years was associated with depression at age 24 years (unstandardized probit coefficient 0.13; 95% confidence interval, 0.02-0.25; P = .019)
- The relationship appeared to persist for alcohol dependence at each age of the growth curve (17-22 years).
- There was no evidence that frequency or quantity of alcohol consumption at age 18 was significantly associated with depression at age 24, suggesting these factors may not increase the risk for later depression unless there are also features of dependency.
IN PRACTICE
“Our findings suggest that preventing alcohol dependence during adolescence, or treating it early, could reduce the risk of depression,” which could have important public health implications, the researchers write.
STUDY DETAILS
The study was carried out by researchers at the University of Bristol; University College London; Critical Thinking Unit, Public Health Directorate, NHS; University of Nottingham, all in the United Kingdom. It was published online in Lancet Psychiatry
LIMITATIONS
There was substantial attrition in the ALSPAC cohort from birth to age 24 years. The sample was recruited from one U.K. region and most participants were White. Measures of alcohol consumption and dependence excluded some features of abuse. And as this is an observational study, the possibility of residual confounding can’t be excluded.
DISCLOSURES
The investigators report no relevant disclosures. The study received support from the UK Medical Research Council and Alcohol Research UK.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
Cognitive decline risk in adult childhood cancer survivors
Among more than 2,300 adult survivors of childhood cancer and their siblings, who served as controls, new-onset memory impairment emerged more often in survivors decades later.
The increased risk was associated with the cancer treatment that was provided as well as modifiable health behaviors and chronic health conditions.
Even 35 years after being diagnosed, cancer survivors who never received chemotherapies or radiation therapies known to damage the brain reported far greater memory impairment than did their siblings, first author Nicholas Phillips, MD, told this news organization.
What the findings suggest is that “we need to educate oncologists and primary care providers on the risks our survivors face long after completion of therapy,” said Dr. Phillips, of the epidemiology and cancer control department at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tenn.
The study was published online in JAMA Network Open.
Cancer survivors face an elevated risk for severe neurocognitive effects that can emerge 5-10 years following their diagnosis and treatment. However, it’s unclear whether new-onset neurocognitive problems can still develop a decade or more following diagnosis.
Over a long-term follow-up, Dr. Phillips and colleagues explored this question in 2,375 adult survivors of childhood cancer from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study and 232 of their siblings.
Among the cancer cohort, 1,316 patients were survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), 488 were survivors of central nervous system (CNS) tumors, and 571 had survived Hodgkin lymphoma.
The researchers determined the prevalence of new-onset neurocognitive impairment between baseline (23 years after diagnosis) and follow-up (35 years after diagnosis). New-onset neurocognitive impairment – present at follow-up but not at baseline – was defined as having a score in the worst 10% of the sibling cohort.
A higher proportion of survivors had new-onset memory impairment at follow-up compared with siblings. Specifically, about 8% of siblings had new-onset memory trouble, compared with 14% of ALL survivors treated with chemotherapy only, 26% of ALL survivors treated with cranial radiation, 35% of CNS tumor survivors, and 17% of Hodgkin lymphoma survivors.
New-onset memory impairment was associated with cranial radiation among CNS tumor survivors (relative risk [RR], 1.97) and alkylator chemotherapy at or above 8,000 mg/m2 among survivors of ALL who were treated without cranial radiation (RR, 2.80). The authors also found that smoking, low educational attainment, and low physical activity were associated with an elevated risk for new-onset memory impairment.
Dr. Phillips noted that current guidelines emphasize the importance of short-term monitoring of a survivor’s neurocognitive status on the basis of that person’s chemotherapy and radiation exposures.
However, “our study suggests that all survivors, regardless of their therapy, should be screened regularly for new-onset neurocognitive problems. And this screening should be done regularly for decades after diagnosis,” he said in an interview.
Dr. Phillips also noted the importance of communicating lifestyle modifications, such as not smoking and maintaining an active lifestyle.
“We need to start early and use the power of repetition when communicating with our survivors and their families,” Dr. Phillips said. “When our families and survivors hear the word ‘exercise,’ they think of gym memberships, lifting weights, and running on treadmills. But what we really want our survivors to do is stay active.”
What this means is engaging for about 2.5 hours a week in a range of activities, such as ballet, basketball, volleyball, bicycling, or swimming.
“And if our kids want to quit after 3 months, let them know that this is okay. They just need to replace that activity with another activity,” said Dr. Phillips. “We want them to find a fun hobby that they will enjoy that will keep them active.”
The study was supported by the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Phillips has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
Among more than 2,300 adult survivors of childhood cancer and their siblings, who served as controls, new-onset memory impairment emerged more often in survivors decades later.
The increased risk was associated with the cancer treatment that was provided as well as modifiable health behaviors and chronic health conditions.
Even 35 years after being diagnosed, cancer survivors who never received chemotherapies or radiation therapies known to damage the brain reported far greater memory impairment than did their siblings, first author Nicholas Phillips, MD, told this news organization.
What the findings suggest is that “we need to educate oncologists and primary care providers on the risks our survivors face long after completion of therapy,” said Dr. Phillips, of the epidemiology and cancer control department at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tenn.
The study was published online in JAMA Network Open.
Cancer survivors face an elevated risk for severe neurocognitive effects that can emerge 5-10 years following their diagnosis and treatment. However, it’s unclear whether new-onset neurocognitive problems can still develop a decade or more following diagnosis.
Over a long-term follow-up, Dr. Phillips and colleagues explored this question in 2,375 adult survivors of childhood cancer from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study and 232 of their siblings.
Among the cancer cohort, 1,316 patients were survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), 488 were survivors of central nervous system (CNS) tumors, and 571 had survived Hodgkin lymphoma.
The researchers determined the prevalence of new-onset neurocognitive impairment between baseline (23 years after diagnosis) and follow-up (35 years after diagnosis). New-onset neurocognitive impairment – present at follow-up but not at baseline – was defined as having a score in the worst 10% of the sibling cohort.
A higher proportion of survivors had new-onset memory impairment at follow-up compared with siblings. Specifically, about 8% of siblings had new-onset memory trouble, compared with 14% of ALL survivors treated with chemotherapy only, 26% of ALL survivors treated with cranial radiation, 35% of CNS tumor survivors, and 17% of Hodgkin lymphoma survivors.
New-onset memory impairment was associated with cranial radiation among CNS tumor survivors (relative risk [RR], 1.97) and alkylator chemotherapy at or above 8,000 mg/m2 among survivors of ALL who were treated without cranial radiation (RR, 2.80). The authors also found that smoking, low educational attainment, and low physical activity were associated with an elevated risk for new-onset memory impairment.
Dr. Phillips noted that current guidelines emphasize the importance of short-term monitoring of a survivor’s neurocognitive status on the basis of that person’s chemotherapy and radiation exposures.
However, “our study suggests that all survivors, regardless of their therapy, should be screened regularly for new-onset neurocognitive problems. And this screening should be done regularly for decades after diagnosis,” he said in an interview.
Dr. Phillips also noted the importance of communicating lifestyle modifications, such as not smoking and maintaining an active lifestyle.
“We need to start early and use the power of repetition when communicating with our survivors and their families,” Dr. Phillips said. “When our families and survivors hear the word ‘exercise,’ they think of gym memberships, lifting weights, and running on treadmills. But what we really want our survivors to do is stay active.”
What this means is engaging for about 2.5 hours a week in a range of activities, such as ballet, basketball, volleyball, bicycling, or swimming.
“And if our kids want to quit after 3 months, let them know that this is okay. They just need to replace that activity with another activity,” said Dr. Phillips. “We want them to find a fun hobby that they will enjoy that will keep them active.”
The study was supported by the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Phillips has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
Among more than 2,300 adult survivors of childhood cancer and their siblings, who served as controls, new-onset memory impairment emerged more often in survivors decades later.
The increased risk was associated with the cancer treatment that was provided as well as modifiable health behaviors and chronic health conditions.
Even 35 years after being diagnosed, cancer survivors who never received chemotherapies or radiation therapies known to damage the brain reported far greater memory impairment than did their siblings, first author Nicholas Phillips, MD, told this news organization.
What the findings suggest is that “we need to educate oncologists and primary care providers on the risks our survivors face long after completion of therapy,” said Dr. Phillips, of the epidemiology and cancer control department at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tenn.
The study was published online in JAMA Network Open.
Cancer survivors face an elevated risk for severe neurocognitive effects that can emerge 5-10 years following their diagnosis and treatment. However, it’s unclear whether new-onset neurocognitive problems can still develop a decade or more following diagnosis.
Over a long-term follow-up, Dr. Phillips and colleagues explored this question in 2,375 adult survivors of childhood cancer from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study and 232 of their siblings.
Among the cancer cohort, 1,316 patients were survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), 488 were survivors of central nervous system (CNS) tumors, and 571 had survived Hodgkin lymphoma.
The researchers determined the prevalence of new-onset neurocognitive impairment between baseline (23 years after diagnosis) and follow-up (35 years after diagnosis). New-onset neurocognitive impairment – present at follow-up but not at baseline – was defined as having a score in the worst 10% of the sibling cohort.
A higher proportion of survivors had new-onset memory impairment at follow-up compared with siblings. Specifically, about 8% of siblings had new-onset memory trouble, compared with 14% of ALL survivors treated with chemotherapy only, 26% of ALL survivors treated with cranial radiation, 35% of CNS tumor survivors, and 17% of Hodgkin lymphoma survivors.
New-onset memory impairment was associated with cranial radiation among CNS tumor survivors (relative risk [RR], 1.97) and alkylator chemotherapy at or above 8,000 mg/m2 among survivors of ALL who were treated without cranial radiation (RR, 2.80). The authors also found that smoking, low educational attainment, and low physical activity were associated with an elevated risk for new-onset memory impairment.
Dr. Phillips noted that current guidelines emphasize the importance of short-term monitoring of a survivor’s neurocognitive status on the basis of that person’s chemotherapy and radiation exposures.
However, “our study suggests that all survivors, regardless of their therapy, should be screened regularly for new-onset neurocognitive problems. And this screening should be done regularly for decades after diagnosis,” he said in an interview.
Dr. Phillips also noted the importance of communicating lifestyle modifications, such as not smoking and maintaining an active lifestyle.
“We need to start early and use the power of repetition when communicating with our survivors and their families,” Dr. Phillips said. “When our families and survivors hear the word ‘exercise,’ they think of gym memberships, lifting weights, and running on treadmills. But what we really want our survivors to do is stay active.”
What this means is engaging for about 2.5 hours a week in a range of activities, such as ballet, basketball, volleyball, bicycling, or swimming.
“And if our kids want to quit after 3 months, let them know that this is okay. They just need to replace that activity with another activity,” said Dr. Phillips. “We want them to find a fun hobby that they will enjoy that will keep them active.”
The study was supported by the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Phillips has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
FROM JAMA NETWORK OPEN
Review may help clinicians treat adolescents with depression
Depression is common among Canadian adolescents and often goes unnoticed. Many family physicians report feeling unprepared to identify and manage depression in these patients.
“Depression is an increasingly common but treatable condition among adolescents,” the authors wrote. “Primary care physicians and pediatricians are well positioned to support the assessment and first-line management of depression in this group, helping patients to regain their health and function.”
The article was published in CMAJ.
Distinct presentation
More than 40% of cases of depression begin during childhood. Onset at this life stage is associated with worse severity of depression in adulthood and worse social, occupational, and physical health outcomes.
Depression is influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Family history of depression is associated with a three- to fivefold increased risk of depression among older children. Genetic loci are known to be associated with depression, but exposure to parental depression, adverse childhood experiences, and family conflict are also linked to greater risk. Bullying and stigma are associated with greater risk among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth.
Compared with adults, adolescents with depression are more likely to be irritable and to have a labile mood, rather than a low mood. Social withdrawal is also more common among adolescents than among adults. Unusual features, such as hypersomnia and increased appetite, may also be present. Anxiety, somatic symptoms, psychomotor agitation, and hallucinations are more common in adolescents than in younger persons with depression. It is vital to assess risk of suicidality and self-injury as well as support systems, and validated scales such as the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale can be useful.
There is no consensus as to whether universal screening for depression is beneficial among adolescents. “Screening in this age group may be a reasonable approach, however, when implemented together with adequate systems that ensure accurate diagnosis and appropriate follow-up,” wrote the authors.
Management of depression in adolescents should begin with psychoeducation and may include lifestyle modification, psychotherapy, and medication. “Importantly, a suicide risk assessment must be done to ensure appropriateness of an outpatient management plan and facilitate safety planning,” the authors wrote.
Lifestyle interventions may target physical activity, diet, and sleep, since unhealthy patterns in all three are associated with heightened symptoms of depression in this population. Regular moderate to vigorous physical activity, and perhaps physical activity of short duration, can improve mood in adolescents. Reduced consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks, processed foods, and meats, along with greater consumption of fruits and legumes, has been shown to reduce depressive symptoms in randomized, controlled trials with adults.
Among psychotherapeutic approaches, cognitive-behavioral therapy has shown the most evidence of efficacy among adolescents with depression, though it is less effective for those with more severe symptoms, poor coping skills, and nonsuicidal self-injury. Some evidence supports interpersonal therapy, which focuses on relationships and social functioning. The involvement of caregivers may improve the response, compared with psychotherapy that only includes the adolescent.
The authors recommend antidepressant medications in more severe cases or when psychotherapy is ineffective or impossible. Guidelines generally support trials with at least two SSRIs before switching to another drug class, since efficacy data for them are sparser, and other drugs have worse side effect profiles.
About 2% of adolescents with depression experience an increase in suicidal ideation and behavior after exposure to antidepressants, usually within the first weeks of initiation, so this potential risk should be discussed with patients and caregivers.
Clinicians feel unprepared
Commenting on the review, Pierre-Paul Tellier, MD, an associate professor of family medicine at McGill University, Montreal, said that clinicians frequently report that they do not feel confident in their ability to manage and diagnose adolescent depression. “We did two systematic reviews to look at the continuing professional development of family physicians in adolescent health, and it turned out that there’s really a very large lack. When we looked at residents and the training that they were getting in adolescent medicine, it was very similar, so they felt unprepared to deal with issues around mental health.”
Medication can be effective, but it can be seen as “an easy way out,” Dr. Tellier added. “It’s not necessarily an ideal plan. What we need to do is to change the person’s way of thinking, the person’s way of responding to a variety of things which will occur throughout their lives. People will have other transition periods in their lives. It’s best if they learn a variety of techniques to deal with depression.”
These techniques include exercise, relaxation methods [which reduce anxiety], and wellness training. Through such techniques, patients “learn a healthier way of living with themselves and who they are, and then this is a lifelong way of learning,” said Dr. Tellier. “If I give you a pill, what I’m teaching is, yes, you can feel better. But you’re not dealing with the problem, you’re just dealing with the symptoms.”
He frequently refers his patients to YouTube videos that outline and explain various strategies. A favorite is a deep breathing exercise presented by Jeremy Howick.
The authors and Dr. Tellier disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
Depression is common among Canadian adolescents and often goes unnoticed. Many family physicians report feeling unprepared to identify and manage depression in these patients.
“Depression is an increasingly common but treatable condition among adolescents,” the authors wrote. “Primary care physicians and pediatricians are well positioned to support the assessment and first-line management of depression in this group, helping patients to regain their health and function.”
The article was published in CMAJ.
Distinct presentation
More than 40% of cases of depression begin during childhood. Onset at this life stage is associated with worse severity of depression in adulthood and worse social, occupational, and physical health outcomes.
Depression is influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Family history of depression is associated with a three- to fivefold increased risk of depression among older children. Genetic loci are known to be associated with depression, but exposure to parental depression, adverse childhood experiences, and family conflict are also linked to greater risk. Bullying and stigma are associated with greater risk among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth.
Compared with adults, adolescents with depression are more likely to be irritable and to have a labile mood, rather than a low mood. Social withdrawal is also more common among adolescents than among adults. Unusual features, such as hypersomnia and increased appetite, may also be present. Anxiety, somatic symptoms, psychomotor agitation, and hallucinations are more common in adolescents than in younger persons with depression. It is vital to assess risk of suicidality and self-injury as well as support systems, and validated scales such as the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale can be useful.
There is no consensus as to whether universal screening for depression is beneficial among adolescents. “Screening in this age group may be a reasonable approach, however, when implemented together with adequate systems that ensure accurate diagnosis and appropriate follow-up,” wrote the authors.
Management of depression in adolescents should begin with psychoeducation and may include lifestyle modification, psychotherapy, and medication. “Importantly, a suicide risk assessment must be done to ensure appropriateness of an outpatient management plan and facilitate safety planning,” the authors wrote.
Lifestyle interventions may target physical activity, diet, and sleep, since unhealthy patterns in all three are associated with heightened symptoms of depression in this population. Regular moderate to vigorous physical activity, and perhaps physical activity of short duration, can improve mood in adolescents. Reduced consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks, processed foods, and meats, along with greater consumption of fruits and legumes, has been shown to reduce depressive symptoms in randomized, controlled trials with adults.
Among psychotherapeutic approaches, cognitive-behavioral therapy has shown the most evidence of efficacy among adolescents with depression, though it is less effective for those with more severe symptoms, poor coping skills, and nonsuicidal self-injury. Some evidence supports interpersonal therapy, which focuses on relationships and social functioning. The involvement of caregivers may improve the response, compared with psychotherapy that only includes the adolescent.
The authors recommend antidepressant medications in more severe cases or when psychotherapy is ineffective or impossible. Guidelines generally support trials with at least two SSRIs before switching to another drug class, since efficacy data for them are sparser, and other drugs have worse side effect profiles.
About 2% of adolescents with depression experience an increase in suicidal ideation and behavior after exposure to antidepressants, usually within the first weeks of initiation, so this potential risk should be discussed with patients and caregivers.
Clinicians feel unprepared
Commenting on the review, Pierre-Paul Tellier, MD, an associate professor of family medicine at McGill University, Montreal, said that clinicians frequently report that they do not feel confident in their ability to manage and diagnose adolescent depression. “We did two systematic reviews to look at the continuing professional development of family physicians in adolescent health, and it turned out that there’s really a very large lack. When we looked at residents and the training that they were getting in adolescent medicine, it was very similar, so they felt unprepared to deal with issues around mental health.”
Medication can be effective, but it can be seen as “an easy way out,” Dr. Tellier added. “It’s not necessarily an ideal plan. What we need to do is to change the person’s way of thinking, the person’s way of responding to a variety of things which will occur throughout their lives. People will have other transition periods in their lives. It’s best if they learn a variety of techniques to deal with depression.”
These techniques include exercise, relaxation methods [which reduce anxiety], and wellness training. Through such techniques, patients “learn a healthier way of living with themselves and who they are, and then this is a lifelong way of learning,” said Dr. Tellier. “If I give you a pill, what I’m teaching is, yes, you can feel better. But you’re not dealing with the problem, you’re just dealing with the symptoms.”
He frequently refers his patients to YouTube videos that outline and explain various strategies. A favorite is a deep breathing exercise presented by Jeremy Howick.
The authors and Dr. Tellier disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
Depression is common among Canadian adolescents and often goes unnoticed. Many family physicians report feeling unprepared to identify and manage depression in these patients.
“Depression is an increasingly common but treatable condition among adolescents,” the authors wrote. “Primary care physicians and pediatricians are well positioned to support the assessment and first-line management of depression in this group, helping patients to regain their health and function.”
The article was published in CMAJ.
Distinct presentation
More than 40% of cases of depression begin during childhood. Onset at this life stage is associated with worse severity of depression in adulthood and worse social, occupational, and physical health outcomes.
Depression is influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Family history of depression is associated with a three- to fivefold increased risk of depression among older children. Genetic loci are known to be associated with depression, but exposure to parental depression, adverse childhood experiences, and family conflict are also linked to greater risk. Bullying and stigma are associated with greater risk among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth.
Compared with adults, adolescents with depression are more likely to be irritable and to have a labile mood, rather than a low mood. Social withdrawal is also more common among adolescents than among adults. Unusual features, such as hypersomnia and increased appetite, may also be present. Anxiety, somatic symptoms, psychomotor agitation, and hallucinations are more common in adolescents than in younger persons with depression. It is vital to assess risk of suicidality and self-injury as well as support systems, and validated scales such as the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale can be useful.
There is no consensus as to whether universal screening for depression is beneficial among adolescents. “Screening in this age group may be a reasonable approach, however, when implemented together with adequate systems that ensure accurate diagnosis and appropriate follow-up,” wrote the authors.
Management of depression in adolescents should begin with psychoeducation and may include lifestyle modification, psychotherapy, and medication. “Importantly, a suicide risk assessment must be done to ensure appropriateness of an outpatient management plan and facilitate safety planning,” the authors wrote.
Lifestyle interventions may target physical activity, diet, and sleep, since unhealthy patterns in all three are associated with heightened symptoms of depression in this population. Regular moderate to vigorous physical activity, and perhaps physical activity of short duration, can improve mood in adolescents. Reduced consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks, processed foods, and meats, along with greater consumption of fruits and legumes, has been shown to reduce depressive symptoms in randomized, controlled trials with adults.
Among psychotherapeutic approaches, cognitive-behavioral therapy has shown the most evidence of efficacy among adolescents with depression, though it is less effective for those with more severe symptoms, poor coping skills, and nonsuicidal self-injury. Some evidence supports interpersonal therapy, which focuses on relationships and social functioning. The involvement of caregivers may improve the response, compared with psychotherapy that only includes the adolescent.
The authors recommend antidepressant medications in more severe cases or when psychotherapy is ineffective or impossible. Guidelines generally support trials with at least two SSRIs before switching to another drug class, since efficacy data for them are sparser, and other drugs have worse side effect profiles.
About 2% of adolescents with depression experience an increase in suicidal ideation and behavior after exposure to antidepressants, usually within the first weeks of initiation, so this potential risk should be discussed with patients and caregivers.
Clinicians feel unprepared
Commenting on the review, Pierre-Paul Tellier, MD, an associate professor of family medicine at McGill University, Montreal, said that clinicians frequently report that they do not feel confident in their ability to manage and diagnose adolescent depression. “We did two systematic reviews to look at the continuing professional development of family physicians in adolescent health, and it turned out that there’s really a very large lack. When we looked at residents and the training that they were getting in adolescent medicine, it was very similar, so they felt unprepared to deal with issues around mental health.”
Medication can be effective, but it can be seen as “an easy way out,” Dr. Tellier added. “It’s not necessarily an ideal plan. What we need to do is to change the person’s way of thinking, the person’s way of responding to a variety of things which will occur throughout their lives. People will have other transition periods in their lives. It’s best if they learn a variety of techniques to deal with depression.”
These techniques include exercise, relaxation methods [which reduce anxiety], and wellness training. Through such techniques, patients “learn a healthier way of living with themselves and who they are, and then this is a lifelong way of learning,” said Dr. Tellier. “If I give you a pill, what I’m teaching is, yes, you can feel better. But you’re not dealing with the problem, you’re just dealing with the symptoms.”
He frequently refers his patients to YouTube videos that outline and explain various strategies. A favorite is a deep breathing exercise presented by Jeremy Howick.
The authors and Dr. Tellier disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
FROM CMAJ
Suicidality risk in youth at highest at night
Investigators found that suicidal ideation and attempts were lowest in the mornings and highest in the evenings, particularly among youth with higher levels of self-critical rumination.
“These are preliminary findings, and there is a need for more data, but they signal potentially that there’s a need for support, particularly at nighttime, and that there might be a potential of targeting self-critical rumination in daily lives of youth,” said lead researcher Anastacia Kudinova, PhD, with the department of psychiatry and human behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I.
The findings were presented at the late-breaker session at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
Urgent need
Suicidal ideation (SI) is a “robust” predictor of suicidal behavior and, “alarmingly,” both suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior have been increasing, Dr. Kudinova said.
“There is an urgent need to describe proximal time-period risk factors for suicide so that we can identify who is at a greater suicide risk on the time scale of weeks, days, or even hours,” she told attendees.
The researchers asked 165 psychiatrically hospitalized youth aged 11-18 (72% female) about the time of day of their most recent suicide attempt.
More than half (58%) said it occurred in the evenings and nights, followed by daytime (35%) and mornings (7%).
They also assessed the timing of suicidal ideation at home in 61 youth aged 12-15 (61% female) who were discharged after a partial hospitalization program.
They did this using ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) three times a day over 2 weeks. EMAs study people’s thoughts and behavior in their daily lives by repeatedly collecting data in an individual’s normal environment at or close to the time they carry out that behavior.
As in the other sample, youth in this sample also experienced significantly more frequent suicidal ideation later in the day (P < .01).
There was also a significant moderating effect of self-criticism (P < .01), such that more self-critical youth evidenced the highest levels of suicidal ideation later in the day.
True variation or mechanics?
Reached for comment, Paul Nestadt, MD, with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, noted that EMA is becoming “an interesting way to track high-resolution temporal variation in suicidal ideation and other psych symptoms.”
Dr. Nestadt, who was not involved in the study, said that “it’s not surprising” that the majority of youth attempted suicide in evenings and nights, “as adolescents are generally being supervised in a school setting during daytime hours. It may not be the fluctuation in suicidality that impacts attempt timing so much as the mechanics – it is very hard to attempt suicide in math class.”
The same may be true for the youth in the second sample who were in the partial hospital program. “During the day, they were in therapy groups where feelings of suicidal ideation would have been solicited and addressed in real time,” Dr. Nestadt noted.
“Again, suicidal ideation later in the day may be a practical effect of how they are occupied in the partial hospital program, as opposed to some inherent suicidal ideation increase linked to something endogenous, such as circadian rhythm or cortisol level rises. That said, we do often see more attempts in the evenings in adults as well,” he added.
A vulnerable time
Also weighing in, Casey O’Brien, PsyD, a psychologist in the department of psychiatry at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, said the findings in this study “track” with what she sees in the clinic.
Teens often report in session that the “unstructured time of night – especially the time when they usually should be getting to bed but are kind of staying up – tends to be a very vulnerable time for them,” Dr. O’Brien said in an interview.
“It’s really nice to have research confirm a lot of what we see reported anecdotally from the teens we work with,” said Dr. O’Brien.
Dr. O’Brien heads the intensive adolescent dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) program at Columbia for young people struggling with mental health issues.
“Within the DBT framework, we try to really focus on accepting that this is a vulnerable time and then planning ahead for what the strategies are that they can use to help them transition to bed quickly and smoothly,” Dr. O’Brien said.
These strategies may include spending time with their parents before bed, reading, or building into their bedtime routines things that they find soothing and comforting, like taking a longer shower or having comfortable pajamas to change into, she explained.
“We also work a lot on sleep hygiene strategies to help develop a regular bedtime and have a consistent sleep-wake cycle. We also will plan ahead for using distress tolerance skills during times of emotional vulnerability,” Dr. O’Brien said.
The Columbia DBT program also offers phone coaching “so teens can reach out to a therapist for help using skills outside of a therapeutic hour, and we do find that we get more coaching calls closer to around bedtime,” Dr. O’Brien said.
Support for the study was provided by the National Institute of Mental Health and Bradley Hospital COBRE Center. Dr. Kudinova, Dr. Nestadt, and Dr. O’Brien have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
Investigators found that suicidal ideation and attempts were lowest in the mornings and highest in the evenings, particularly among youth with higher levels of self-critical rumination.
“These are preliminary findings, and there is a need for more data, but they signal potentially that there’s a need for support, particularly at nighttime, and that there might be a potential of targeting self-critical rumination in daily lives of youth,” said lead researcher Anastacia Kudinova, PhD, with the department of psychiatry and human behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I.
The findings were presented at the late-breaker session at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
Urgent need
Suicidal ideation (SI) is a “robust” predictor of suicidal behavior and, “alarmingly,” both suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior have been increasing, Dr. Kudinova said.
“There is an urgent need to describe proximal time-period risk factors for suicide so that we can identify who is at a greater suicide risk on the time scale of weeks, days, or even hours,” she told attendees.
The researchers asked 165 psychiatrically hospitalized youth aged 11-18 (72% female) about the time of day of their most recent suicide attempt.
More than half (58%) said it occurred in the evenings and nights, followed by daytime (35%) and mornings (7%).
They also assessed the timing of suicidal ideation at home in 61 youth aged 12-15 (61% female) who were discharged after a partial hospitalization program.
They did this using ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) three times a day over 2 weeks. EMAs study people’s thoughts and behavior in their daily lives by repeatedly collecting data in an individual’s normal environment at or close to the time they carry out that behavior.
As in the other sample, youth in this sample also experienced significantly more frequent suicidal ideation later in the day (P < .01).
There was also a significant moderating effect of self-criticism (P < .01), such that more self-critical youth evidenced the highest levels of suicidal ideation later in the day.
True variation or mechanics?
Reached for comment, Paul Nestadt, MD, with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, noted that EMA is becoming “an interesting way to track high-resolution temporal variation in suicidal ideation and other psych symptoms.”
Dr. Nestadt, who was not involved in the study, said that “it’s not surprising” that the majority of youth attempted suicide in evenings and nights, “as adolescents are generally being supervised in a school setting during daytime hours. It may not be the fluctuation in suicidality that impacts attempt timing so much as the mechanics – it is very hard to attempt suicide in math class.”
The same may be true for the youth in the second sample who were in the partial hospital program. “During the day, they were in therapy groups where feelings of suicidal ideation would have been solicited and addressed in real time,” Dr. Nestadt noted.
“Again, suicidal ideation later in the day may be a practical effect of how they are occupied in the partial hospital program, as opposed to some inherent suicidal ideation increase linked to something endogenous, such as circadian rhythm or cortisol level rises. That said, we do often see more attempts in the evenings in adults as well,” he added.
A vulnerable time
Also weighing in, Casey O’Brien, PsyD, a psychologist in the department of psychiatry at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, said the findings in this study “track” with what she sees in the clinic.
Teens often report in session that the “unstructured time of night – especially the time when they usually should be getting to bed but are kind of staying up – tends to be a very vulnerable time for them,” Dr. O’Brien said in an interview.
“It’s really nice to have research confirm a lot of what we see reported anecdotally from the teens we work with,” said Dr. O’Brien.
Dr. O’Brien heads the intensive adolescent dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) program at Columbia for young people struggling with mental health issues.
“Within the DBT framework, we try to really focus on accepting that this is a vulnerable time and then planning ahead for what the strategies are that they can use to help them transition to bed quickly and smoothly,” Dr. O’Brien said.
These strategies may include spending time with their parents before bed, reading, or building into their bedtime routines things that they find soothing and comforting, like taking a longer shower or having comfortable pajamas to change into, she explained.
“We also work a lot on sleep hygiene strategies to help develop a regular bedtime and have a consistent sleep-wake cycle. We also will plan ahead for using distress tolerance skills during times of emotional vulnerability,” Dr. O’Brien said.
The Columbia DBT program also offers phone coaching “so teens can reach out to a therapist for help using skills outside of a therapeutic hour, and we do find that we get more coaching calls closer to around bedtime,” Dr. O’Brien said.
Support for the study was provided by the National Institute of Mental Health and Bradley Hospital COBRE Center. Dr. Kudinova, Dr. Nestadt, and Dr. O’Brien have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
Investigators found that suicidal ideation and attempts were lowest in the mornings and highest in the evenings, particularly among youth with higher levels of self-critical rumination.
“These are preliminary findings, and there is a need for more data, but they signal potentially that there’s a need for support, particularly at nighttime, and that there might be a potential of targeting self-critical rumination in daily lives of youth,” said lead researcher Anastacia Kudinova, PhD, with the department of psychiatry and human behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, R.I.
The findings were presented at the late-breaker session at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
Urgent need
Suicidal ideation (SI) is a “robust” predictor of suicidal behavior and, “alarmingly,” both suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior have been increasing, Dr. Kudinova said.
“There is an urgent need to describe proximal time-period risk factors for suicide so that we can identify who is at a greater suicide risk on the time scale of weeks, days, or even hours,” she told attendees.
The researchers asked 165 psychiatrically hospitalized youth aged 11-18 (72% female) about the time of day of their most recent suicide attempt.
More than half (58%) said it occurred in the evenings and nights, followed by daytime (35%) and mornings (7%).
They also assessed the timing of suicidal ideation at home in 61 youth aged 12-15 (61% female) who were discharged after a partial hospitalization program.
They did this using ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) three times a day over 2 weeks. EMAs study people’s thoughts and behavior in their daily lives by repeatedly collecting data in an individual’s normal environment at or close to the time they carry out that behavior.
As in the other sample, youth in this sample also experienced significantly more frequent suicidal ideation later in the day (P < .01).
There was also a significant moderating effect of self-criticism (P < .01), such that more self-critical youth evidenced the highest levels of suicidal ideation later in the day.
True variation or mechanics?
Reached for comment, Paul Nestadt, MD, with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, noted that EMA is becoming “an interesting way to track high-resolution temporal variation in suicidal ideation and other psych symptoms.”
Dr. Nestadt, who was not involved in the study, said that “it’s not surprising” that the majority of youth attempted suicide in evenings and nights, “as adolescents are generally being supervised in a school setting during daytime hours. It may not be the fluctuation in suicidality that impacts attempt timing so much as the mechanics – it is very hard to attempt suicide in math class.”
The same may be true for the youth in the second sample who were in the partial hospital program. “During the day, they were in therapy groups where feelings of suicidal ideation would have been solicited and addressed in real time,” Dr. Nestadt noted.
“Again, suicidal ideation later in the day may be a practical effect of how they are occupied in the partial hospital program, as opposed to some inherent suicidal ideation increase linked to something endogenous, such as circadian rhythm or cortisol level rises. That said, we do often see more attempts in the evenings in adults as well,” he added.
A vulnerable time
Also weighing in, Casey O’Brien, PsyD, a psychologist in the department of psychiatry at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, said the findings in this study “track” with what she sees in the clinic.
Teens often report in session that the “unstructured time of night – especially the time when they usually should be getting to bed but are kind of staying up – tends to be a very vulnerable time for them,” Dr. O’Brien said in an interview.
“It’s really nice to have research confirm a lot of what we see reported anecdotally from the teens we work with,” said Dr. O’Brien.
Dr. O’Brien heads the intensive adolescent dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) program at Columbia for young people struggling with mental health issues.
“Within the DBT framework, we try to really focus on accepting that this is a vulnerable time and then planning ahead for what the strategies are that they can use to help them transition to bed quickly and smoothly,” Dr. O’Brien said.
These strategies may include spending time with their parents before bed, reading, or building into their bedtime routines things that they find soothing and comforting, like taking a longer shower or having comfortable pajamas to change into, she explained.
“We also work a lot on sleep hygiene strategies to help develop a regular bedtime and have a consistent sleep-wake cycle. We also will plan ahead for using distress tolerance skills during times of emotional vulnerability,” Dr. O’Brien said.
The Columbia DBT program also offers phone coaching “so teens can reach out to a therapist for help using skills outside of a therapeutic hour, and we do find that we get more coaching calls closer to around bedtime,” Dr. O’Brien said.
Support for the study was provided by the National Institute of Mental Health and Bradley Hospital COBRE Center. Dr. Kudinova, Dr. Nestadt, and Dr. O’Brien have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.
FROM SLEEP 2023
Once-weekly growth hormone somapacitan approved for children
On May 26, the European Medicine Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use adopted a positive opinion, recommending the product for replacement of endogenous growth hormone in children aged 3 years and older.
That decision followed the Food and Drug Administration’s approval in April of the new indication for somapacitan injection in 5 mg, 10 mg, or 15 mg doses for children aged 2.5 years and older. The FDA approved the treatment for adults with growth hormone deficiency in September 2020.
Growth hormone deficiency is estimated to affect between 1 in 3,500 to 1 in 10,000 children. If left untreated, the condition can lead to shortened stature, reduced bone mineral density, and delayed appearance of teeth.
The European and American regulatory decisions were based on data from the phase 3 multinational REAL4 trial, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, in 200 prepubertal children with growth hormone deficiency randomly assigned 2:1 to weekly subcutaneous somapacitan or daily somatropin. At 52 weeks, height velocity was 11.2 cm/year with the once-weekly drug, compared with 11.7 cm/year with daily somatropin, a nonsignificant difference.
There were no major differences between the drugs in safety or tolerability. Adverse reactions in the REAL4 study that occurred in more than 5% of patients included nasopharyngitis, headache, pyrexia, extremity pain, and injection site reactions. A 3-year extension trial is ongoing.
The European Commission is expected to make a final decision in the coming months, and if approved somapacitan will be available in some European countries beginning in late 2023.
A version of this article originally appeared on Medscape.com.
On May 26, the European Medicine Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use adopted a positive opinion, recommending the product for replacement of endogenous growth hormone in children aged 3 years and older.
That decision followed the Food and Drug Administration’s approval in April of the new indication for somapacitan injection in 5 mg, 10 mg, or 15 mg doses for children aged 2.5 years and older. The FDA approved the treatment for adults with growth hormone deficiency in September 2020.
Growth hormone deficiency is estimated to affect between 1 in 3,500 to 1 in 10,000 children. If left untreated, the condition can lead to shortened stature, reduced bone mineral density, and delayed appearance of teeth.
The European and American regulatory decisions were based on data from the phase 3 multinational REAL4 trial, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, in 200 prepubertal children with growth hormone deficiency randomly assigned 2:1 to weekly subcutaneous somapacitan or daily somatropin. At 52 weeks, height velocity was 11.2 cm/year with the once-weekly drug, compared with 11.7 cm/year with daily somatropin, a nonsignificant difference.
There were no major differences between the drugs in safety or tolerability. Adverse reactions in the REAL4 study that occurred in more than 5% of patients included nasopharyngitis, headache, pyrexia, extremity pain, and injection site reactions. A 3-year extension trial is ongoing.
The European Commission is expected to make a final decision in the coming months, and if approved somapacitan will be available in some European countries beginning in late 2023.
A version of this article originally appeared on Medscape.com.
On May 26, the European Medicine Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use adopted a positive opinion, recommending the product for replacement of endogenous growth hormone in children aged 3 years and older.
That decision followed the Food and Drug Administration’s approval in April of the new indication for somapacitan injection in 5 mg, 10 mg, or 15 mg doses for children aged 2.5 years and older. The FDA approved the treatment for adults with growth hormone deficiency in September 2020.
Growth hormone deficiency is estimated to affect between 1 in 3,500 to 1 in 10,000 children. If left untreated, the condition can lead to shortened stature, reduced bone mineral density, and delayed appearance of teeth.
The European and American regulatory decisions were based on data from the phase 3 multinational REAL4 trial, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, in 200 prepubertal children with growth hormone deficiency randomly assigned 2:1 to weekly subcutaneous somapacitan or daily somatropin. At 52 weeks, height velocity was 11.2 cm/year with the once-weekly drug, compared with 11.7 cm/year with daily somatropin, a nonsignificant difference.
There were no major differences between the drugs in safety or tolerability. Adverse reactions in the REAL4 study that occurred in more than 5% of patients included nasopharyngitis, headache, pyrexia, extremity pain, and injection site reactions. A 3-year extension trial is ongoing.
The European Commission is expected to make a final decision in the coming months, and if approved somapacitan will be available in some European countries beginning in late 2023.
A version of this article originally appeared on Medscape.com.